SCOTLAND

Departmental Marketing

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what assessment he has made of the cost effectiveness of Government-commissioned advertising in the last 12 months relating to matters falling within the remit of his Department.

Ann McKechin: The Scotland Office incurred no expenditure on advertising in 2007-08.

Departmental Pay

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many non-pensionable bonuses were awarded to members of staff in his Department in the last 12 months; and at what total cost.

Ann McKechin: I refer the hon. Member to the answer that I gave on 2 June 2008,  Official Report, column 530W, to the hon. Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr. Hammond).

WALES

Departmental Procurement

Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what proportion of invoices for goods and services procured from small and medium-sized businesses were paid within 30 days of receipt by  (a) his Department and  (b) the agencies for which his Department is responsible in 2007-08; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Murphy: My office paid 90 per cent. of all invoices received within 30 days, and of the small amount of invoices received from small businesses, 92 per cent. were paid within 30 days of receipt in 2007-08. The Wales Office does not have any agencies.

Departmental Written Questions

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many and what proportion of written Questions for answer on a named day his Department has answered on the due date in the current Session of Parliament to date.

Paul Murphy: This Session my Department has answered 24 out of 27 named day questions on the due date, a proportion of 89 per cent.

Taxis

Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much was claimed in expenses for taxi travel by officials from his Department in  (a) 2006-07,  (b) 2005-06,  (c) 2004-05,  (d) 2003-04 and  (e) 2002-03; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Murphy: My Department has spent the following amounts on taxis:
	
		
			   £ 
			 2002-03 1,266 
			 2003-04 1,154 
			 2004-05 625 
			 2005-06 2,321 
			 2006-07 2,194

DEFENCE

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 22 July 2008,  Official Report, column 1052W, on Afghanistan: peacekeeping operations, 
	(1)  what the details were of each confirmed report of theft;
	(2)  how many cases of theft are being investigated; and on what date each investigation began.

Bob Ainsworth: holding answer 17 September 2008
	I will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Substantive answer from Bob Ainsworth to Liam Fox:
	I undertook to write to you in answer to your Parliamentary Questions on 29 September 2008, (Official Report, column 2432W), about the theft of military supplies during transit to Afghanistan.
	Below is a list of those reports which have been confirmed as theft. I have omitted some of those cases referred to in my original answer to you on 22 July 2008, (Official Report, column 1052W) regarding reported thefts, as subsequent investigations proved that some losses were due to other causes, such as accounting errors or having been destroyed by enemy forces while in transit. The information given in the table is sourced from the records held by the Royal Military Police, who investigate all reports received. At the time of writing there are no cases of reported theft of goods in transit still being investigated.
	
		
			  Date reported  Actual incident  Background  Remarks 
			 11 October 2007 Theft in Transit Tools removed from ISO* while in transit on Contractor convoy between Lashkar Gah and Camp Bastion *ISO standard shipping container 
			 16 October 2007 Theft in Transit Personal items removed from ISO while in transit between UK and Camp Bastion. — 
			 28 October 2007 Theft in Transit Specialist cable removed from ISO while in transit between UK and Camp Bastion. — 
			 1 December 2007 Theft in Transit Military equipment and personal items removed from ISO while in transit between Kandahar Airfield and Camp Bastion. — 
			 3 December 2007 Theft in Transit Hesco Bastion removed from ISO while in transit between Kandahar Airfield and Lashkar Gah. — 
			 7 December 2007 Theft in Transit Runway incursion lights removed from ISO while in transit between UK and Camp Bastion. — 
			 31 December 2007 Theft in Transit Military equipment removed from ISO while in transit between Kandahar Airfield and Kabul. — 
			 12 January 2008 Theft in Transit Hesco Bastion removed from ISO while in transit on Contractor convoy between Kandahar Airfield and Camp Bastion. — 
			 15 January 2008 Theft in Transit Electrical items and plant equipment removed from ISO while in transit on Contractor convoy between Kandahar Airfield and Camp Bastion. — 
			 18 January 2008 Theft of ISO Specialist stores removed from ISO while in transit on Contractor convoy between Kandahar Airfield and Camp Bastion. Inquiries ascertained that ISO container did not reach intended destination 
			 25 January 2008 Theft in Transit Specialist stores removed from ISO while in transit between UK and Kandahar Airfield. Inquiries ascertained that the ISO container arrived in theatre via Iran. 
			 21 March 2008 Destroyed by EF/Theft in Transit Specialist stores destroyed/removed from ISO while in transit between Germany and Camp Bastion. Inquiries ascertained that 1 x ISO was destroyed by enemy forces/1 x ISO failed to arrive and 1 x ISO arrived at Camp Bastion. 
			 2 April 2008 Theft of ISO Accommodation stores removed from ISO while in transit on Contractor convoy between Kandahar Airfield and Camp Bastion. Inquiries ascertained that ISO container did not reach intended destination. 
			 12 May 2008 Theft in Transit Military equipment removed from ISO while in transit between UK and Camp Bastion. — 
			 29 May 2008 Theft in Transit 2 x flat screen TVs removed while in transit between Kandahar Airfield and Camp Bastion. — 
			 23 June 2008 Theft from ISO Specialist stores removed from ISO while in transit between Kandahar Airfield and Camp Bastion. No evidence to indicate items loaded into ISO at Kandahar Airfield 
		
	
	I am placing a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Angus MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many enemy combatants were taken prisoner in Afghanistan by UK forces in each month of operations in the last two years.

John Hutton: The Ministry of Defence is currently undertaking a review of its detention records and I will write to the hon. Member when the review has been completed.

Armed Forces: Food

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department's ration packs cost on average.

Quentin Davies: The average cost of the components required to make one Operational Ration Pack (ORP) are as follows:
	
		
			   £ 
			 24 Hr General Purpose ORP 8.75 
			 24 Hr Sikh/Hindu ORP 8.77 
			 24 Hr Halal ORP 9.34 
			 24 Hr Vegetarian ORP 8.89

China: Military Alliances

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library a copy of the Memoranda of Understanding on military-co-operation signed during the Prime Minister's visit to China in January 2008.

John Hutton: Although a number of Memoranda of Understanding and bilateral agreements were signed during my right hon. Friend's very successful visit to China in January 2008, none related to military co-operation.

Disabled

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many and what proportion of staff in  (a) his Department and  (b) the executive agencies for which he is responsible are disabled; and what the average salary in (i) his Department and (ii) the executive agencies is of (A) full-time disabled staff, (B) full-time non-disabled staff, (C) part-time disabled staff and (D) part-time non-disabled staff.

Kevan Jones: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Parliamentary Secretary for the Cabinet Office on 8 October 2008,  Official Report, column 651-57W.

European Fighter Aircraft

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has for future orders of Tranche 3 Typhoon fighters; and if he will make a statement.

Quentin Davies: Negotiations with partner nations and industry on Tranche 3 are continuing; decisions will be taken once these negotiations are complete.

Iran: Weapons

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many deaths of UK armed forces personnel in  (a) Iraq and  (b) Afghanistan are considered to have resulted from the use of technology, explosives, ordnance or other weapons whose provenance is believed to be Iranian; and if he will make a statement.

John Hutton: It is not possible to identify the origin of all technology, explosives, ordnance or weapons employed against British Forces operating in Iraq and Afghanistan. Some evidence suggests that a proportion of the equipment and armaments used in attacks originate from within the borders of Iran but the precise number is not available.

Iraq: Peacekeeping Operations

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress has been made in transferring Basra airbase to Iraqi civilian authority; and if he will make a statement.

John Hutton: As the Prime Minister set out in his statement on 22 July 2008,  Official Report, column 662, finalising the preparations for transfer of Basra International Airport (BIA) to Iraqi control is one of the key remaining tasks for UK forces in southern Iraq.
	With some support from the Royal Air Force, the Iraqi civilian authorities are already able to operate BIA as a civil airport during daylight hours. We continue to assess that—subject to security conditions on the ground—the Iraqi authorities will be able to take over development of the airport at the turn of the year.

Porton Down

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when and for what purpose South Africa's Surgeon-General, Neil Knobel, visited Porton Down; and if he will make a statement.

Quentin Davies: I believe that your question relates to a claim made by Dr. Wouter Basson, during the Truth and Reconciliation Council hearings in August 2001, that Neil Knobel visited Porton Down. Officials at DSTL Porton Down have reviewed their records and have found no evidence to support the claim that this individual visited the establishment.

Trident Missiles

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 29 September 2008,  Official Report, column 2440W, on Trident missiles, how many Trident warheads are either operationally available or undergoing maintenance.

John Hutton: The UK has fewer than 160 operationally available Trident warheads. I am withholding further information as its release would, or would be likely to, prejudice national security.

Written Questions: Government Responses

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he will reply to question 220189, on staff, tabled on 15 July.

Kevan Jones: I replied to the hon. Member today.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Crime Prevention

Eddie McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the terms of reference of the review of community safety partnerships are.

Paul Goggins: An NIO-led review group is considering the optimum local arrangements for the delivery of the functions currently undertaken by Community Safety Partnerships (CSPs) and District Policing Partnerships (DPPs). The review will take account of the implementation of the Northern Ireland Executive's Review of Public Administration, and in particular the introduction of community planning. The main focus of this work is to establish how best to deliver effective local services and accountability, consistent with developments in community planning.
	The review group will shortly bring forward recommendations on the way forward. I will then consult with key stakeholders before initiating a wider public consultation.

Disabled

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland 
	(1)  how many and what proportion of staff in his Department are disabled; and what the average salary in his Department is of  (a) full-time disabled staff,  (b) full-time non-disabled staff,  (c) part-time disabled staff and  (d) part-time non-disabled staff;
	(2)  when he will reply to Question 220174, on staff, tabled on 15 July.

Shaun Woodward: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster on 8 October,  Official Report, column 652W.
	The statistics in respect of the Northern Ireland Office, as referred to in that response, relate only to its Home Civil Service employees. There are also a number of Northern Ireland Civil Servants working in the Department. When Northern Ireland Civil Servants are included in the total, there are 54 staff (4.1 per cent.) in the NIO core and 36 staff (4.7 per cent.) in its executive agencies who have advised the Department that they have a disability.

Nuclear Power

Alasdair McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what  (a) meetings and  (b) discussions he has had with the Minister for the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment in the Northern Ireland Executive on the implications for electricity consumers in Northern Ireland of the Government's plans for nuclear generation in Great Britain in the last 12 months; and what correspondence has been undertaken between his officials and those in the Northern Ireland Executive on the matter of the same timescale.

Shaun Woodward: I have had no such meetings or discussions in the last 12 months, but I know that officials in the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform maintain close links with their counterparts in the Northern Ireland Department of Enterprise, Trade and Industry.

Vetting: Standards

Eddie McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what proportion of the applications made to Access NI for criminal record checks in each of the last three months took more than four weeks to complete.

Paul Goggins: During the period in question, AccessNI maintained a performance target to complete 90 per cent. of basic disclosure applications within two weeks and 90 per cent. of standard disclosure applications within three weeks. Unfortunately, we have failed to meet our target of 90 per cent. of enhanced disclosures within four weeks.
	I will write to the hon. Gentleman to explain the steps taken to address this issue.

Water Charges

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for North Shropshire, of 26 June 2008,  Official Report, column 441W, on water charges, what estimate he has made of the effect on funding to be provided from central Government to the Northern Ireland Executive as a result of not implementing a policy of revised water charges in Northern Ireland.

Shaun Woodward: Policy on water charging is a devolved matter for the Northern Ireland Executive. Any associated costs would be met from within the Northern Ireland block grant, which was set out in the 2007 Comprehensive Spending Review.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Better Government for Older People

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has for the future of the Better Government for Older People programme; and if he will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 13 October 2008
	On 22 May 2008 the Minister for Pensions Reform (Mike O'Brien) announced a review by John Elbourne to examine how Government can best engage with older people. The review is looking at how Government support mechanisms to engage with older people, including Better Government for Older People.

Council Tax Benefits: Scotland

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what research his Department has commissioned on the effects of a local income tax on the administration of the council tax benefits system in Scotland.

Kitty Ussher: None to date.

Elderly

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the relationships are between his Department, the Better Government for Older People programme, the Older People's Advisory Group and the Centre for Policy on Ageing.

Rosie Winterton: The Department for Work and Pensions is the main funder of Better Government for Older People (BGOP). BGOP supports a network of volunteers, the Older People's Advisory Group. The Centre for Policy on Ageing hosts BGOP, employing staff and providing accommodation.

Occupational Pensions: Public Sector

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many new public sector pensions have been opened in each of the last 10 years.

Yvette Cooper: I have been asked to reply.
	Membership data on individual public sector pension schemes are available in their published resource accounts.

Social Security Benefits

John Mason: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate the Government has made of monetary value of unclaimed benefits in the latest period for which figures are available, broken down by benefit and allowance type.

Kitty Ussher: Estimates of the value of unclaimed income-related benefits in Great Britain, covering income support, pension credit, housing benefit, council tax benefit and jobseeker's allowance (income-based) are published in the report "Income Related Benefits Estimates of Take-Up in 2006-07". A copy of this report, along with past reports, has been placed in the Library.
	Estimates are not available for other benefits and allowances.

Social Security Benefits: Disqualification

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many written warnings have been issued to benefit claimants about the consequences of failure to engage in a rehabilitation programme in respect of antisocial or criminal behaviour under the provisions of the Social Security Contributions and Benefits Act 1992 as amended by the Welfare Reform Act 2007; in how many cases benefit sanctions have been applied; what progress has been made in the pilot areas; how many warnings and sanctions have been issued in each pilot area; and if he will make a statement.

Kitty Ussher: holding answer 9 October 2008
	There have been no written warnings issued or sanctions applied in the pilot areas for the sanction of housing benefit related to antisocial behaviour.
	The eight local authorities all have the necessary processes in place to offer suitable rehabilitation in cases where it would be appropriate. Some have introduced details about the sanction into their literature and warning letters to tenants.

WOMEN AND EQUALITY

Equal Pay: Prosecutions

Stephen Hesford: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality how many prosecutions of private sector employers took place under the Equal Pay Act 1970 for the underpayment of female workers between 2000 and 2007.

Maria Eagle: The Equal Pay Act 1970 does not contain any criminal offences, so there can be no prosecutions under it. Anyone who considers that they have been paid less than a person of the opposite gender for doing like work, work rated the same, or work of equal value can make a civil claim under the Equal Pay Act 1970 before an employment tribunal.
	The number of equal pay claims made to employment tribunals is published by the Employment Tribunal Service (ETS), but information on whether the claim was brought against a public or private sector is not recorded.
	The following table records the number of claims made in each period which included a claim for equal pay.
	
		
			   Equal pay claims 
			 2000-01 4,712 
			 2001-02 8,762 
			 2002-03 5,053 
			 2003-04 4,412 
			 2004-05 8,229 
			 2005-06 17,268 
			 2006-07 44,013 
		
	
	Data in this table are taken from the ETS Annual Reports for the years 2003-04 and 2005-06, and the Annual Statistics 2006-07, all of which are published on the ETS website:
	http://www.employmenttribunals.gov.uk/publications/publications.htm

Government Communications

Mark Hoban: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality how many staff in the Government Equalities Office  (a) are classified as Government communicators and  (b) have access to the Government Communication Network.

Maria Eagle: There are five communications specialists in the Government Equalities Office. All civil servants have the option of accessing the Government Communication Network and those who mainly work in a communications role have exclusive access to the resources it provides.

Women: Violence

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality what assessment she has made of the effects of gang culture on levels of violence against women.

Maria Eagle: To date no assessment has been made by my Department of the effects of gang culture on levels of violence against women.

LEADER OF THE HOUSE

Legislation

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Leader of the House 
	(1)  how much has been spent on  (a) the publicity for and  (b) the solicitation of responses to the Government's Draft Legislative Programme for 2008-09;
	(2)  how many responses to the Government's Draft Legislative Programme for 2008-09 were received by  (a) e-mail,  (b) post and  (c) another method; and if she will make a statement.

Chris Bryant: £32,035 was spent on publishing the Government's Draft Legislative Programme for 2008-09. The cost of the consultation exercise on the Government's Draft Legislative Programme for 2008-09 was £30,922.38.
	The Government's Draft Legislative Programme for 2008-09 received the views of around 1,900 people and organisations. These comprised 566 responses to the Leader of the House of Commons' website, at least 1,200 people and organisations who participated in the 62 regional events and 115 individuals and organisations who responded by post.

INNOVATION, UNIVERSITIES AND SKILLS

Adult Education: Finance

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how much was allocated to adult learning support at higher education colleges in Leeds by the Learning and Skills Council in 2007-08.

Si�n Simon: The total Additional Learning Support (ALS) allocated to further education colleges in Leeds by the LSC in the year 2007-08 was 5,005,573. The breakdown of this allocation to individual colleges is set out as follows, and includes ALS for both 16 to 18-year-olds and adults (those aged 19 or over):
	
		
			  College name  2007/08 ALS allocation () 
			 Joseph Priestley College 579,887 
			 Leeds College of Art and Design 177,000 
			 Leeds College of Building 188,728 
			 Leeds College of Music 35,000 
			 Leeds College of Technology 554,295 
			 Leeds Thomas Danby 1,015,147 
			 Northern School of Contemporary Dance 18,000 
			 Notre Dame Catholic Sixth Form College 455,000 
			 Park Lane College 1,937,434 
			 Swarthmore Education Centre 45,082 
			 Total ALS funding for FE colleges in Leeds 5,005,573

Apprentices

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what steps the Government have taken to increase the numbers of applications for apprenticeships.

Si�n Simon: holding answer 9 October 2008
	World-class Apprenticeships confirmed our commitment to making apprenticeships a top-quality option for both young people and adults and set out steps to increase the numbers of people undertaking adult apprenticeships. In the summer we published a Draft Apprenticeships Bill to underpin and help sustain the improvements in the quality of the programme. Through this proposed legislation we aim to ensure that apprenticeships are a badge of quality skills for young people, for adults and for employers. The legislation will also drive forward the provision of sufficient apprenticeship places to meet the entitlement for our young people to have an offer of an apprenticeship place by 2013. Last year we abolished the upper age limit for apprenticeships and we are increasing Apprenticeships funding to over 1 billion between 2007-08 and 2010-11. Expanding apprenticeships will play a key role in improving the nation's skills base and we plan to deliver over 250,000 apprenticeship starts and 190,000 successful completions by 2020.

Apprentices

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what steps the Government have taken to reduce the burden of administration within the apprenticeship scheme.

Si�n Simon: On 7 August this year my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills announced Government proposals to cut red tape concerning Apprenticeships in response to employers' concerns. We will remove unnecessary bureaucracy such as demands to store paperwork for up to six years; multiple inspection visits; and minimise reporting requirements at the earliest possible opportunity. In line with the successful actions of some of Britain's leading employers, we will introduce improvements including more efficient use of electronic audit and storage, simpler and faster registration and certification processes, and more streamlined payment and reporting systems. These practical measures will enable more employers to meet their present and future skills needs, unimpeded by time-consuming and costly administration.
	We are also working with the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, who recently surveyed SMEs to establish how the new National Apprenticeship Service can better meet the needs of employers. The survey focused on, although was not limited to, reducing the administrative burden on business. Together we will consider how best to incorporate the recommendations coming out of the survey.

Chelmsford College

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills if he will provide funding for adult learning support at Chelmsford college for 2008-09 to make up for the shortfall contingent on the changes made to the funding formula.

Si�n Simon: The level of additional learning support (ALS) based on the new funding methodology was finalised through the negotiation and allocation process between the Learning and Skills Council and Chelmsford college as part of wider discussions on overall funding allocations for the college. This resulted in the final funding allocation being agreed for 2008/09. ALS is part of the overall funding allocation for Chelmsford college. The overall funding allocation for the college (including ALS) is 9.7 million in 2008/09 (an increase of 3.7 per cent. compared to 2007/08).
	Changes to the way ALS was calculated for 2008/09 were made following consultation across the full range of FE colleges and providers. These changes were introduced to ensure that the funding was better focused on need rather than purely on an historical basis.
	We recognise that with any change to funding approach there is a period of transition and to allow for this and to minimise the impact on colleges' budgets only 60 per cent. of ALS has been distributed using the formula approach in 2008/09. The remaining 40 per cent. has been allocated on the basis of the historical proportion of the budget.

European High Power Laser Energy Research Facility

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills which UK companies are involved in the European High Power Laser Energy Research facility; and what financial and other assistance his Department is providing to those companies.

Si�n Simon: The first phase of the High Power Laser Energy Research facility project (HiPER) was launched in London on 6 October 2008. This event marked the formal start of a three-year preparatory phase that is jointly funded by the European Commission, the UK (through the Science and Technology Facilities Council), and various European partners. A number of UK companies attended the event.
	The purpose of the preparatory phase is to establish the technical, legal, financial, industrial and strategic development path for this large scale scientific facility. During this phase the project will develop relationships with potential industrial suppliers, particularly in lasers and optics, over the next three years. There is no substantial procurement in this first phase.

Students: Fees and Charges

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what fees were charged by colleges for A-level courses to students in each of the last three years, broken down by college; and what fees are proposed for  (a) 2008-09 and  (b) 2009-10 in each case.

Si�n Simon: The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) use a national funding system in which national rates determine the amount of public funding payable for courses funded through the 16-18, adult learner and employer responsive funding models. The actual funding a college or provider receives for a particular course is based on the number of hours required to complete the course.
	Learners aged 16-18 at the start of their programme will be entitled to full fee remission and therefore will not be charged fees. Adult learners (aged 19 or over) in receipt of income-related benefits will be eligible for full fee remission. Those who are not eligible for fee remission will be expected to contribute towards the cost of the course in line with the national fee assumption. For the 2008/09 academic year the national fee assumption is 42.5 per cent. of the national funding rate, increasing to 47.5 per cent. in 2009/10.
	While a college or provider receives the national fee assumption affecting the level of public funding, it is for colleges and providers to determine the actual fee charged. It is therefore not possible to provide a breakdown of the fees charged to adult learners doing A-levels either at national level or by college.

Training: Interpreters

David Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills if he will recommend that the Learning and Skills Council establish a source of ring-fenced funding for the training of public service interpreters; and if he will make a statement.

Si�n Simon: The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) is responsible for the funding of post-16 further education (FE) and training delivered through FE colleges and providers in England.
	Government funding through the LSC is focused on supporting adults and young people to gain the skills they need for sustainable employment and progression in learning. Investment is prioritised on basic literacy and numeracy, full level 2 and full level 3 qualifications as well as a range of first steps provision offering opportunities for progression below level 2. The LSC also funds some provision at level 4 and above, for example the Diploma in Public Service Interpreters. For courses at this level, where the learner/employer sees the greatest private returns, they are expected to make a contribution towards the cost of the course.
	In line with our response to the Leitch Review of Skills we are committed to increasing funding through demand-led routes to ensure that funding is responsive to learner and employer needs. We would therefore not seek to ring-fence funding for a specific course as this would run counter to this aim.

Training: Trade Unions

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what level of funding he has made available for trade union training in each of the last three years.

Si�n Simon: Trade unions have a key role to play in promoting the development of learning and skills in the workplace. To help them do this more effectively we introduced the union learning fund in 1998. This source of funding is helping trade unions use their influence with employers, employees and training providers to encourage greater take-up of learning at work and boost their own capacity as learning organisations. The level of funding in each of the last three financial years has been as follows:
	
		
			million 
			 2005-06 15.4 
			 2006-07 16.9 
			 2007-08 18.4 
		
	
	With the help of the union learning fund, trade unions and their union learning representatives have been able to develop successful partnerships with employers to raise skill levels in the workplace. There are now over 20,500 trained union learning reps who have helped over 600,000 workers back into learning since the fund was introduced. Over 200,000 were helped last year, many from those hard to reach groups, who employers and training providers find it so difficult to engage with, including over 34,000 workers with poor basic literacy and numeracy skills.
	Union learning representatives and other trade union representatives and officers can also access LSC funded training, delivered through a network of approved colleges, to help them carry out their duties more effectively. There is no separate budget allocated for this type of training.

Vocational Qualification Day

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what support his Department gave to Vocational Qualification Day 2008; and if he will make a statement.

Si�n Simon: The Department welcomed VQ Day as the first national day to celebrate the achievement of those who gain vocational qualifications, and to recognise the contribution made by all those working in colleges and other training organisations who teach and support learners during their courses. Minister of State Bill Rammell attended the launch of VQ Day at the House of Commons, and Secretary of State John Denham attended the national celebration event on VQ Day itself at the Royal Opera House, where he was pleased to give a short speech and meet learners.

JUSTICE

Alternatives to Prison: Mentally Ill

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what alternatives to a custodial sentence upon conviction there are for those offenders who have been diagnosed with severe mental health problems.

David Hanson: Sentencing is a matter for the courts in the light of the offence, any medical evidence, the history of offending and the implications of a particular disposal for the offender's future management.
	People who, on conviction, meet criteria for detention under section of the Mental Health Act 1983 (MHA) may be given a hospital order under section 37 of the Act, or hospital and limitation directions under section 45A, detaining them in hospital for treatment in the setting that most appropriately balances treatment needs, security and public protection. It is also possible for courts to order offenders who meet certain criteria to be made subject to guardianship under the MHA.
	People with mental ill health not meeting these criteria who are not given a custodial sentence may access general NHS community mental health services as other unrestricted patients do.
	The Government have asked Lord Bradley to consider the diversion of offenders with mental health problems and learning disabilities away from prison and we look forward to considering his report which we expect will be available at the end of the year.

Departmental Written Questions

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many and what proportion of written questions for answer on a named day his Department has answered on the due date in the current Session of Parliament to date.

Michael Wills: The Ministry of Justice answered 621 named day written questions on the day specified out of a total of 837 questions from 6 November 2007 up to and including 13 October 2008. This represents 74.19 per cent. We also answered 1,955 ordinary written questions out of 2,548 during the same period. This represents 76.73 per cent.

Driving Offences: Mobile Phones

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many successful prosecutions there have been for illegal use of a mobile telephone whilst driving in each year since it became an offence, broken down by police force area.

Maria Eagle: Available information on prosecutions and convictions in the period 1 December 2003 to end 2006 (latest available) taken from the Court Proceedings Database held by my Department, are provided in the following table. 2007 data should be available later this year.
	The majority of use of hand held mobile phone while driving offences are dealt with under the fixed penalty notices scheme. The table does not include fixed penalty notices but does include cases where fixed penalty notices were issued but not paid and subsequently referred to court.
	
		
			  Proceedings and findings of guilt at magistrates courts for the offence of use of hand held mobile phone while driving( 1,)( )( 2)  by police force area, England and Wales, 2003-06 
			  Number of offences 
			   2003  2004  2005  2006 
			  Police force area  Total court proceedings( 2)  Total findings of guilt  Total court proceedings( 2)  Total findings of guilt  Total court proceedings( 2)  Total findings of guilt  Total court proceedings( 2)  Total findings of guilt 
			 Avon and Somerset 0 0 19 19 47 39 54 48 
			 Bedfordshire 1 1 5 5 16 13 76 62 
			 Cambridgeshire 0 0 7 6 19 19 52 46 
			 Cheshire 0 0 2 1 15 14 36 30 
			 Cleveland 0 0 4 3 7 7 20 16 
			 Cumbria 0 0 24 24 41 35 57 53 
			 Derbyshire 0 0 17 16 52 49 35 30 
			 Devon and Cornwall 0 0 19 17 27 25 52 42 
			 Dorset 0 0 0 0 3 3 4 3 
			 Durham 0 0 1 1 2 2 16 15 
			 Essex 0 0 28 25 64 53 71 65 
			 Gloucestershire 0 0 1 1 4 4 10 7 
			 Greater Manchester 0 0 73 65 154 136 183 158 
			 Hampshire 0 0 18 15 40 34 69 63 
			 Hertfordshire 0 0 6 6 70 64 65 52 
			 Humberside 0 0 4 4 25 22 45 39 
			 Kent 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Lancashire 0 0 17 16 48 46 62 48 
			 Leicestershire 0 0 12 9 28 26 26 24 
			 Lincolnshire 0 0 9 5 15 12 30 24 
			 London, City of 0 0 7 5 14 12 24 20 
			 Merseyside 0 0 22 20 27 23 46 41 
			 Metropolitan Police 0 0 203 124 658 545 685 588 
			 Norfolk 0 0 20 15 21 17 31 21 
			 Northamptonshire 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Northumbria 0 0 32 29 22 20 98 89 
			 North Yorkshire 0 0 18 18 35 30 34 33 
			 Nottinghamshire 0 0 8 7 26 24 17 15 
			 South Yorkshire 0 0 12 12 25 21 43 32 
			 Staffordshire 0 0 11 10 21 21 19 16 
			 Suffolk 0 0 7 4 22 17 21 16 
			 Surrey 0 0 9 7 91 82 92 88 
			 Sussex 0 0 1 1 2 2 0 0 
			 Thames Valley 0 0 24 21 126 112 211 175 
			 Warwickshire 0 0 7 7 17 13 20 16 
			 West Mercia 0 0 17 15 59 50 88 74 
			 West Midlands 0 0 61 52 109 88 121 94 
			 West Yorkshire 0 0 11 9 47 38 52 37 
			 Wiltshire 0 0 21 19 29 22 38 32 
			 Dyfed Powys 0 0 13 13 16 13 15 14 
			 Gwent 0 0 0 0 4 3 6 4 
			 North Wales 0 0 3 3 17 13 30 26 
			 South Wales 0 0 16 12 25 20 28 21 
			 England and Wales 1 1 789 641 2,090 1,789 2,682 2,277 
			 (1) Offences under the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986, Regulations 110(1), 110(2) and 110 (3). Introduced 1 December 2003. (2) Includes cases where a fixed penalty notice was originally issued but not paid and subsequently referred to court.  Notes: 1. It is known that for some police force areas, the reporting of court proceedings, in particular those relating to summary motoring offences, may be less than complete. 2. Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.

Drugs: Misuse

Mark Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether he plans to review the law relating to the responsibility of a supplier of a toxic substance to a person when that person voluntarily takes the substance themselves with consequent harm in the light of the House of Lords judgement R  v. Kennedy.

Maria Eagle: The Ministry of Justice have no plans to review the law in this area. If a person of sound mind freely and voluntarily administers a drug to himself, it would not be appropriate for the law to hold the supplier of the drug responsible for that decision. In the case of R  v. Kennedy (No 2) [2007] UKHL 38 the defendant was found guilty of supplying a controlled drug. That is a serious offence reflecting the harm that controlled drugs can do. The maximum penalty is life imprisonment, or a fine, or both. The defendant was sentenced to three years imprisonment.
	In this particular case, the person supplied subsequently died as a result of taking the drug. But the conviction for manslaughter was not upheld on appeal, because administering the drug was the decision of the deceased and the appellant could not be said to have committed a criminal act which had been a significant cause of the deceased's death.

Elections: Greater London

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Bromley of 4 June 2008,  Official Report, column 1037W, on elections: Greater London, if he will assess the extent to which voters understood the conceptual differences between the second preference in the Supplementary Vote Election System for Mayor of London and the second vote in Additional Member System for the London Assembly, when casting their votes.

Michael Wills: The Government have no plans to undertake an assessment of this issue. Under the terms of section 6 of the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 the Electoral Commission may submit reports on local government elections, including elections for the Mayor of London and the London Assembly. In July 2008, the Electoral Commission published its report on the administration of the Greater London Authority elections on 1 May 2008. The report covers levels of rejected ballot papers, and public understanding of ballot papers, though does not directly assess the extent to which voters understood the differences between the voting systems in use for the Mayoral and London Assembly elections.

Evidence: CCTV

John Leech: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many cases were opened and then not proceeded with in court because of a failure to comply with the Information Commissioner's code of practice for CCTV in each of the last seven years.

Michael Wills: Procedural details about court cases in England and Wales are held in each individual court and are not collated centrally. The information requested can only be obtained at a disproportionate cost.

Family Courts

Mark Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when he plans to respond to the consultation, Confidence and Confidentiality: Openness in family courts.

Bridget Prentice: This is an important and complex area of policy about which people have strong views, and one that we are examining with care and consideration. That is why we have consulted twice on how we could improve transparency in family courts.
	While it is important that the family courts are open to scrutiny and have the confidence of the public; it is equally as important that the welfare of children is protected, and that includes their right to privacy and anonymity.
	The response paper to the last consultation will be published soon and details of it will be announced to Parliament.

Prisoners: Mentally Ill

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what facilities are available in prisons to prisoners diagnosed with mental health problems.

David Hanson: All prisoners are assessed at the point of reception into prison and those at risk of having a mental health problem, or vulnerable to suicide, are referred for a mental health assessment to the mental health in-reach team. Nearly 20 million a year is being invested recurrently in mental health in-reach. There are 102 mental health in-reach teams with all prisons having access to them: a total of 360 extra staff altogether.
	There are new systems to monitor and support those at risk of harming themselves, and prison officers are being trained in mental health awareness. 600,000 has been invested over three years to 2009 to train frontline prison staff. Investment (308 million in 2006-07 and 336 million in 2007-08) is also being made in four close supervision centres (CSC) at Whitemoor, Wakefield, Woodhill and Long Lartin prisons to deliver mental health care to those prisoners whose offending behaviour and history mean that containment in secure isolated accommodation is the only option.
	Furthermore, in relation to the small number of people with a severe personality disorder who are dangerous, the Department of Health and Ministry of Justice are investing in special secure services. The programme has a capacity of over 300 places in two high security prisons (Frankland and Whitemoor), a female prison (Low Newton in Durham) and two high security hospitals (Broadmoor and Rampton). They provide essential clinical services for dangerous offenders whose offending is linked to severe personality disorder.
	The Government have asked Lord Bradley to consider the diversion of offenders with mental health problems and learning disabilities away from prison and we look forward to considering his report which we expect will be available at the end of the year.

Prisoners: Pay

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what maximum amount a prisoner is able to earn per week, including any payments for education, work, good behaviour or any other duties.

David Hanson: Prison Service Order 4460 (Prisoners' Pay), a copy of which has been placed in the House Library, sets out minimum rates of prisoner pay for work (enabling them to obtain life skills) and education and other duties or activities. The order requires governors and directors of contracted prisons to devise local pay schemes that reflect regime priorities of their establishment.
	The information requested is not centrally available and could be collated only by manual checking with over 140 individual establishments, which would incur disproportionate cost.

Prisons: Crimes of Violence

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many serving prisoners received additional terms of imprisonment for assaulting prison staff in each of the last three years;
	(2)  how many serving prisoners were convicted of assaulting prison staff in each of the last three years;
	(3)  how many prison staff members were assaulted by prisoners while on duty in each of the last three years.

Jack Straw: Information about action taken by the police, and the outcome of criminal proceedings, is not held by the National Offender Management Service (NOMS).
	NOMS and the Prison Officers Association are jointly committed to 'zero tolerance' on assaults on staff. I have written to the Attorney-General and the Home Secretary, both of whom are committed to pursing a robust and consistent approach to the involvement of the police and Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) in prosecuting such assaults. Alongside working with the CPS and the police, enhanced guidance is also currently being developed by police advisers section in NOMS headquarters on a much wider agenda of crime reporting in prisons. This guidance will address the subject of the reporting and investigation of allegations of assault on prison staff and aims to provide national consistency in classifying and responding to crime committed in prisons. The guidance will be an important step in making sure that the most serious incidents are referred to the police.
	The following table shows incidents of prisoner on staff assaults in each of the last three years for which figures are available. The number of prisoner on staff assaults has remained stable, despite a rise in the prison population.
	The information is subject to important qualifications. The NOMS incident reporting system processes high volumes of data which are constantly being updated. The numbers provide a good indication of overall numbers but should not be interpreted as absolute.
	Assault data are complex and the numbers need to be interpreted with caution. Information recorded as assault incidents may involve one or more victim.
	The numbers supplied refer to the number of individual assault incidents. The numbers refer to all incidents recorded as assaults; these may also include threatening behaviour, projection of bodily fluids and other non-contact events and allegations.
	
		
			   2005  2006  2007 
			 Prisoner on staff assaults 3,171 3,148 2,916 
			 Mid Year Prison Population 76,190 77,982 80,205

Prisons: Drugs

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what guidance his Department has issued in writing to prison governors on  (a) misuse of buprenorphine,  (b) systems of administering methadone and  (c) the risks associated with naltrexone in the last three years.

David Hanson: Advice on reducing the supply of drugsincluding illicit buprenorphineinto prisons has been issued to all prisons in England and Wales.
	On 13 March 2008 governors were informed that as of 1 April 2008 buprenorphine would be included in the panel of drugs tested for under the Mandatory Drug Testing (MDT) programme.
	In 2008 the Department of Health issued governors (in public prisons) and directors (in contracted prisons) with copies of the following documents:
	Department of Health (2006) Clinical management of drug dependence in the adult prison setting
	Department of Health (2007) Drug misuse and drug dependence: UK guidelines on clinical management
	Both of these documents feature detailed guidance on the safe and effective clinical use of methadone, buprenorphine and naltrexone.

Sentencing

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps he has taken to ensure consistency in the length of sentences handed down by judges for similar offences.

Maria Eagle: In 2003 the Government created the Sentencing Guidelines Council for England and Wales which must have regard to promoting consistency in sentencing when it frames its guidelines. This complements the responsibility of the Court of Appeal Criminal Division to promote a consistent approach to sentencing with the assistance of the Judicial Studies Board.
	To facilitate a more informed approach to consistency, in December 2007 the Government published a report on geographic variations in custodial sentencing in England and Wales for 2003 to 2006, and possible causes.
	In December 2008 the Government and the Lord Chief Justice set up a working group chaired by Lord Justice Gage into sentencing guidelines, which looked, amongst other things, into ways to improve consistency, and made recommendations. The Government are currently considering those proposals.
	The Northern Ireland Court of Appeal delivers guideline judgments on sentencing in Northern Ireland. These sentencing guideline cases encourage consistency in sentencing throughout the courts of Northern Ireland and support sentencers in their decision making. In addition, the Judicial Studies Board of Northern Ireland provides training to the judiciary on a range of issues, including sentencing.

South East

Howard Stoate: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much his Department spent on services, broken down by type in  (a) Dartford Borough,  (b) Kent Thameside,  (c) the Thames Gateway,  (d) Kent County Council area and  (e) the South East region in each of the last five years.

Maria Eagle: The information is as follows:
	 HM Courts Service
	
		
			   South East (000) 
			 2005-06 133,574 
			 2006-07 144,179 
			 2007-08 146,760 
		
	
	Spend for years prior to 2005-06 could be provided only at disproportionate cost as HM Courts Service was formed in April 2005.
	Spend for other requested areas could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	 Tribunals Service
	
		
			   Greater London and the South East( 1)  (000) 
			 2006-07 33,593 
			 2007-08 36,720 
			 (1) Administrative area and not necessarily geographic. 
		
	
	Spend for years prior to 2006-07 could be provided only at disproportionate cost as Tribunals Service was formed in April 2006.
	Spend for the South East region only and other requested areas could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	 HM Prison Service
	
		
			  000 
			   Thames Gateway  Rest of Kent  Rest of South East 
			 2003-04 52,742 32,259 167,380 
			 2004-05 89,648 32,216 173,642 
			 2005-06 97,662 33,323 179,801 
			 2006-07 106,197 30,024 179,577 
			 2007-08 108,771 32,621 190,735 
		
	
	There are no prison establishments in Dartford borough or Kent Thameside.
	 National Probation Service
	
		
			  000 
			   Kent  South East region 
			 2003-04 15,727 76,367 
			 2004-05 16,401 77,930 
			 2005-06 18,734 88,105 
			 2006-07 19,795 91,600 
			 2007-08 20,809 97,454 
		
	
	Spend for other requested areas could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	 Office of the Public Guardian
	An answer could be provided only at disproportionate cost, as OPG does not serve defined administrative areas.

Written Questions: Government Responses

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when he will reply to Question 220173, on staff, tabled on 15 July.

Michael Wills: The Ministry of Justice answered this question on 13 October 2008,  Official Report, column 872W. I am very sorry for the delay.

Young Offenders: Sentencing

David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the average length of sentence was for young offenders convicted for offences involving  (a) violence against a person,  (b) burglary,  (c) robbery,  (d) sexual offences and  (e) illegal drugs where a custodial sentence was handed down in the financial year 2005-06.

Maria Eagle: The requested information is contained in the following table.
	Statistics are provided on a calendar year basis for 2006.
	
		
			  Average length of immediate custodial sentence( 1)  for various offence groups by age group, all courts, England and Wales, 2006 
			   Average length of sentence (months) 
			   Age group 
			  Offence description  Juveniles 10-17 year olds  Young adults 18-20 year olds  10 - 20 year olds 
			 Violence against the person 12.8 16.3 15.2 
			 Burglary 8.6 13.9 11.7 
			 Robbery 16.9 31.5 24.4 
			 Sexual offences 29.9 36.5 33.8 
			 Drug offences 14.0 24.7 22.5 
			 (1) Months. Excludes life and indeterminate sentences.  Note: These figures have been drawn from administrative data systems. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system.  Source:  OMS Analytical Services

TRANSPORT

A1: Elkesley

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what timetable he has established for the construction of the A1 flyover at Elkesley.

Paul Clark: Following the Preferred Route Announcement in July 2008 the next stage of the process is the publication of the draft statutory orders in spring 2009.
	Further progression is dependent on the outcome of the statutory process and the possible need for a public inquiry. On this basis construction is unlikely to start before late 2010.

A38

Gary Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what decisions have been made on  (a) the closure of and  (b) improvements to road junctions on the A38 between Marsh Mills, Plymouth and South Brent following the recent review.

Paul Clark: The Highways Agency continues to monitor the performance of the A38 between Marsh Mills, Plymouth and South Brent to improve its operation and safety. This includes discussion with key stakeholders including Plymouth city council. The closures and improvements detailed in this answer have evolved from this process.
	Between (and including) Marsh Mills junction and South Brent junction, a distance of approximately 20 kilometres, there are seven eastbound and eight westbound locations where access to or egress from the A38 trunk road is possible. The current position at these locations is:
	 (a) The Highways Agency has recently consulted on the permanent closure of the A38 Voss Farm eastbound access slip road and is in the process of making an order to authorise its permanent closure. This access slip road has been temporarily closed since June 2007. Although the accident data do not support the closure of the Voss Farm westbound slip roads, their possible closure will be considered as part of improvements required to accommodate additional development growth for Deep Lane.
	The current accident data for the other locations do not support further slip road closure.
	 (b) A recent accident study for Marsh Mills recommends improvement to the signing, lining and skid resistance of the road surface at this junction and this work is currently being designed.
	At Deep Lane, the junction improvement work has been undertaken. This consists of the installation of traffic signals and realignment works to accommodate the construction of the Langage Power Station. The westbound access slip safety study will be completed this autumn. In addition, the major improvements to this junction to accommodate the Sherford and other additional development growth emerging from the Regional Spatial Strategy, continue to be pursued.
	Safety improvements to the Lee Mill westbound egress slip road were implemented during spring 2008. Improvements consisted of narrowing of the westbound egress slip and realignment of the roundabout on the county road.
	No improvements have been identified as necessary at any of the other locations on the A38 between Marsh Mills and South Brent.

Airports: Security

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what guidelines have been issued to airport authorities on the appointment of security personnel.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department for Transport places directed obligations on aerodrome managers, aircraft operators, regulated cargo agents, and in-flight catering companies regarding the vetting and training of aviation security personnel as part of the National Aviation Security Programme (NASP). Best practice guidance on the physical and other attributes of security personnel is also included in the NASP.

Crossrail: Construction

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what disruption to roads he expects to take place during the construction of Crossrail; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Clark: The likely construction impacts of Crossrail are described in the environmental statement (ES) for the project that accompanied the Crossrail Bill and was considered during the lengthy parliamentary scrutiny of the Bill. Construction of Crossrail will be subject to the environmental minimum requirements for the project (including a construction code and the many undertakings and assurances given by the Secretary of State during the Bill's passage) as well as the safeguards in the Act itself, to ensure that the impacts of the project do not exceed what has been assessed and described in the ES. Many of the detailed arrangements for how construction will affect roads and traffic will be subject to approval of the relevant local highways authority and consultation within traffic liaison groups which will be established along the whole route.

Cycling: Standards

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make it his policy to ensure that all school children have access to cycling proficiency lessons before they attend secondary school.

Paul Clark: While the nature and level of cycle training provision is a matter for schools and local authorities, the Government have increased significantly the resources for cycling provision to 140 million over three years. Among other initiatives this funding will give an extra 500,000 children the opportunity to undertake national standard training by 2012, over and above the training already provided by schools and local authorities.

Cycling: Standards

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his policy is on schools providing cycling proficiency lessons for children; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Clark: The Government are keen to encourage children to travel to school in a sustainable way and therefore supports the provision of cycle training in schools. The nature and level of such training is a matter of choice for schools and local authorities. However, the Government have made funding available to give an extra 500,000 children the opportunity to undertake national standard training by 2012, over and above the training already provided by local authorities.

Cycling: Standards

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many schools in  (a) Essex and  (b) Castle Point provide cycling proficiency lessons.

Paul Clark: The Government do not hold data on the provision of cycle training by individual schools. We monitor delivery of training courses by local authorities and school sports partnerships who are awarded Government grants to fund national standard cycle training in schools. Local authorities monitor outputs from their own schemes.
	Essex county council has been awarded 10,000 for 2008-09 to provide 250 national standard training places. School Sports Partnerships in Essex have been awarded 64,000 to provide a further 1,600 places, including 75 in Castle Point and Rochford.
	These funding allocations represent part of the significant increase in overall allocations of 140 million over the years. Further and within Essex, Colchester and Southend have been awarded 'Cycle Demonstration Town' status.
	In addition to this, Essex county council funds and delivers the Essex Cyclist Training scheme (ECTS). It is available to all primary schools for children aged 10 years and above. Last year 3,080 pupils were trained, of which 80 were in the Castle Point district. Although this training is not currently equivalent to the national standard, Essex stated in their 2008-09 Cycling England grant bid their aspiration to transfer training to national standard by 2015.

Departmental Telephone Services

Colin Challen: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what agencies or units for which his Department is responsible require the public to make telephone calls to them on numbers which charge more than the national call rate; and how much income each such agency derived from such charges in each of the last three years.

Geoff Hoon: The information requested is as follows, for the last three financial years and rounded:
	
		
			   2005-06  (000)  2006-07  (000)  2007-08  (000)  Comments 
			 DfT (Central) 0 0 0 Had a 0845 line for a short period in 2007-08, generating no income 
			 DVLA 2,424 2,894 3,382 DVLA operates as a Trading Fund and income from 0870 lines supports the cost of the call centre and services. 
			 DSA 693.2 623.3 672.0 0870 numbers are being replaced with low rate 0300 ones from 31 October 2008. 
			 VOSA 63.4 72.4 78.6 Replaced with a new low rate 0300 number from 1 September 2008. 
			 VCA 0 0 0 Has one 0844 line, generating no income 
			 HA 0 0 0 Calls to the 0845 HA Information Line are charged at a local rate. 
			 MCA 0 0 0 Has one 0870 line which generates no income 
			 GCDA 0 0 0 Has no premium rate lines

Inland Waterways: Finance

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what percentage of his Department's budget was spent on British waterways in the last period for which figures are available.

Jim Fitzpatrick: British Waterways is sponsored by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in England and Wales and by the Scottish Executive in Scotland.
	In February 2007, the Department for Transport (DfT) offered British Waterways a Freight Facilities Grant of 1.37 million towards the capital costs of constructing a lock and associated works at the Prescott Channel in east London. In that year, the Department's budget for Freight Facilities Grants was 7 million of which 19.6 per cent. was allocated to British Waterways.

Level Crossings: Accidents

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many serious injuries have occurred on level crossings in the last five years.

Paul Clark: The information requested is contained in the following table:
	
		
			  Serious injuries on British level crossings, 2003-07 
			   Fatal injuries  Major injuries( 1)  Over Three day injuries( 2)  Hospital treatment( 3)  Total 
			 2003 16 1 1 24 42 
			 2004 14 3 4 57 78 
			 2005 16 1 2 18 37 
			 2006 8 2 9 17 36 
			 2007 12 1 3 10 26 
			 Total 66 8 19 126 219 
			 (1) This category only applies to railway employees. (2) This category only applies to injuries to railway employees that required a three day or over absence from work. (3) This category only applies to members of the public injured at a level crossing and taken directly to hospital for treatment. 
		
	
	The data are based on incidents reported to the Office of Rail Regulation (ORR), under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995 (RIDDOR 95).
	Injuries to trespassers, attempted suicides and confirmed suicides have been excluded from the table.

M25

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many cars broke down on the M25 in each of the last five years.

Paul Clark: The Department for Transport does not hold data on the total number of cars broken down on the M25 in the last five years. This is because many individuals who break down make their own private recovery or repair arrangements using direct contact by mobile telephone and these are not recorded by the Highways Agency.
	The Department for Transport records vehicles broken down on motorways that have been reported to the regional control centres operated by Highways Agency's Traffic Officer Service.
	These data have only been collected from the introduction of the Traffic Officer Service which achieved full service on the M25 on 1 October 2006.
	The numbers recorded for light vehicles that were broken down on the M25 are listed in the following table.
	
		
			  Incidents recorded by Traffic Officer Service 
			  Time period  Number of hard shoulder and live lane breakdowns of cars and light goods vehicles (under 7.5 tonnes) 
			 1 October 2006 to 31 December 2006 6,310 
			 1 January 2007 to 31 December 2007 27,840 
			 1 January 2008 to 30 September 2008 22,042 
			 Total 56,192

M25: Repairs and Maintenance

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the average annual cost was of cleaning the M25 motorway in the latest period for which figures are available.

Paul Clark: The Highways Agency has estimated the annual cost of cleaning the M25 motorway in the financial year 2007-08 as 1.272 million. Data are not collated or held in a format which provides a breakdown of costs for the cleaning of individual roads within the Highways Agency's Area 5 network. The figure for cleaning the M25 is therefore only an approximation based on the proportion of network to costs. The M25 forms just under half (49.92 per cent.) of the Area 5 network.

M6

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  if he will take steps to approve a scheme for the re-location of junction 14 of the M6 to a position further north of Stafford;
	(2)  if he will take steps to approve a scheme for the early re-construction of junction 15 of the M6 to a modern motorway standard;
	(3)  when he expects to introduce the first active traffic management scheme on the M6; and at what location;
	(4)  what his policy is on the widening of the M6 between junctions 11 and 19.

Paul Clark: Following the Advanced Motorway Signalling and Traffic Management Feasibility Study published in March 2008 the Secretary of State announced a programme of work to examine in detail where dynamic use of the hard shoulder should be implemented more widely to ease congestion and improve reliability on the network.
	The M6 from junctions 10a (Wolverhampton) to 19 (Knutsford) is one of the areas being examined for potential roll-out of hard shoulder running. This detailed feasibility work is due to be complete by the end of the year and includes examining what improvements to existing junctions may also be necessary, although it does not at this stage consider the relocation of junctions. Decisions on the nature, priority and timing of improvements to the M6 and the need for any further investigation works, such as looking at relocating junctions, will be made following the conclusions of this work.

M6

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the timetable is for the construction of a direct link from the M54 to the M6 toll road.

Paul Clark: The Highways Agency is currently assessing options for the provision of a new link from the M54 to the M6 (northbound) and the M6 toll. The way forward for this scheme will be reviewed once the results of the options assessment work are known, which is expected to be in early 2009.

M6

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will take steps to arrange the early re-surfacing of the M6 between junctions 13 and 14.

Paul Clark: The Highways Agency has indicated that tests are currently under way between junctions 13 and 14 of the M6 to identify when the next major resurfacing scheme will be required, although this is unlikely to be within the next three years.
	Following recent spending reviews, the Government decided that resurfacing schemes should not be brought forward ahead of normal maintenance needs. When resurfacing is carried out, general policy is to use materials with low noise properties wherever possible.

Manchester Piccadilly to Manchester Airport Railway Line

John Leech: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many trains per week on the Manchester Piccadilly to Manchester Airport line did not make a scheduled stop at  (a) intermediate stations and  (b) Burnage station due to the service recovery protocol in the latest period for which figures are available.

Paul Clark: During rail industry period 6 (17 August 2008 to 13 September 2008), a total of five trains were recorded as not having called at intermediate stations between Manchester Airport and Manchester Piccadilly as a result of service recovery incidents. The Department for Transport does not hold centrally the number of trains failing to call at individual stations.

Motorways: Repairs and Maintenance

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the cost of resurfacing motorways has been in the last five years.

Paul Clark: The Highways Agency does not separately record or report the cost of resurfacing motorways. However, the annual accounts for the HA over the past five years has reported the following in terms of expenditure on maintenance.
	
		
			million 
			 2007-08 879 
			 2006-07 850 
			 2005-06 852 
			 2004-05 732 
			 2003-04 726 
		
	
	Expenditure figures have been adjusted to account for spend relating to roads trunked or detrunked in the financial year.
	The expenditure figures provided are for maintenance on the strategic road network managed and maintained by the Highways Agency. This includes renewal of the road surface and repairs to structures, as well as routine maintenance such as gully clearing, white lining, cleaning and winter maintenance, but not those associated with our Private Finance Initiative contracts.
	To disaggregate the cost of resurfacing motorways only would be a very lengthy exercise, and as such could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Powers of Entry

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what  (a) primary and  (b) secondary legislation sponsored by her Department has (i) amended and (ii) enhanced existing powers of entry since May 1997.

Geoff Hoon: A response covering all Government Departments was provided by the Secretary of State for the Home Department on 7 October 2008,  Official Report, column 577W.

Railway Network

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans there are to open new train lines in England.

Paul Clark: The Government's immediate priority is increasing capacity on the existing rail network and 10 billion will be invested from 2009 to 2014 on measures to bring this about.
	In March 2008, the Secretary of State for Transport invited Network Rail to examine options for supporting further growth in the longer term, which might include new lines. Network Rail's new lines study is due to be completed in summer 2009.

Railways: Contracts

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which train operators have requested a renegotiation of their franchise agreement in the last 12 months.

Paul Clark: None. The Department for Transport has consistently stated that it will not renegotiate franchises.

Railways: Fares

Phyllis Starkey: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to repeat the 2003 Future Fares Policy Consultation to review the Strategic Rail Authority's fare structures.

Paul Clark: In our White Paper Delivering a Sustainable Railway published in July 2007 we confirmed the policy of capping most regulated fares to RPI plus 1 per cent. until 2014.
	But we are never complacent about issues that affect rail passengers. The previous Secretary of State for Transport asked Passenger Focus to address how well the current system of fares and ticketing meets passenger expectations so that we can consider options for further improvements. That process is under way.

Railways: Milton Keynes

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when the upgrade of Milton Keynes Central train station is due to be completed; and at what cost.

Paul Clark: holding answer 13 October 2008
	The upgrade of Milton Keynes Central station, including the track and associated signalling, is due to be completed over the Christmas and new year period 2008.
	The total cost is some 120 million.

Railways: Milton Keynes

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many extra  (a) Virgin and  (b) London Midland trains will stop at Milton Keynes Central as a result of the platform upgrade.

Paul Clark: holding answer 13 October 2008
	With the introduction of new timetables on the West Coast Main Line, there will be an additional hourly service, provided by Virgin Trains, between London and Chester, which will call at Milton Keynes Central.
	London Midland will also provide a new hourly service between London and Crewe, via Northampton, also calling at Milton Keynes Central.
	Southern is planning to extend its hourly West London Line service, presently terminating at Watford Junction, to Milton Keynes Central.
	Currently these changes are proposed to be phased in between early December 2008 and late January 2009.

Railways: Milton Keynes

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what  (a) potential and  (b) actual capacity for commuters has been created at Milton Keynes Central train station by the recent works.

Paul Clark: holding answer 13 October 2008
	An opportunity exists to increase commuter services between Milton Keynes Central and London as a result of the work now being completed on the West Coast Main Line. Up to two such trains an hour could operate on the fast lines, if additional 125 mile/hour trains are available and demand increases to justify such an investment.

Railways: Milton Keynes

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what capacity for non-stopping trains will be created at Milton Keynes Central by the recent works; and how many trains per hour this represents.

Paul Clark: holding answer 13 October 2008
	The new layout at Milton Keynes Central station, with an extra line and additional platform capacity, provides for the operation of up to four additional fast trains an hour.

Railways: Public Appointments

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he plans to appoint a chairman for the Office of Rail Regulation.

Paul Clark: holding answer 13 October 2008
	 The process for appointing a new chairman of the Office of Rail Regulation is already under way. It is hoped that the new chairman could be in place by July 2009, with a transition period beginning in April 2009.

Railways: Repairs and Maintenance

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how often railway sleepers were replaced in the latest period for which figures are available.

Paul Clark: This is an operational matter for Network Rail as the owner and operator of the national rail network. The hon. Member should contact Network Rail's chief executive at the following address for a response to his questions:
	Iain Coucher
	Chief Executive
	Network Rail
	Kings Place
	90 York Way
	London, N1 9AG.

Railways: Students

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much money the Government provided for scholar discounts for train tickets for young people attending schools in Cambridge via First Capital Connect and WAGN in each of the last three years.

Paul Clark: The Government have not provided any funding to either First Capital Connect or WAGN in any of the last three years in relation to discounted scholar train tickets.

Road Traffic Control: Carbon Emissions

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the quantity of carbon dioxide produced each day by the use of traffic lights and electronic signs.

Paul Clark: The Department for Transport has not estimated the level of carbon dioxide emissions resulting from the use of traffic lights or electronic signs.

Roads: Construction

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what her latest estimate is of the construction cost per mile of a three-lane motorway with  (a) a continuous hard shoulder,  (b) emergency refuge areas every 500 metres,  (c) emergency refuge areas every 800 metres,  (d) emergency refuge areas every 1,000 metres and  (e) neither hard shoulder nor emergency refuge areas.

Paul Clark: The estimated range of construction costs for one mile of three-lane motorway with a continuous hard shoulder is from 21.4 million to 35.0 million. This compares with a range of 19.3 million to 31.5 million for a three-lane motorway without hard shoulder. The estimated rates cover the construction costs of a new dual three-lane rural motorway including detail design costs and statutory undertakers' diversions, but excluding land costs, VAT and the Highways Agency's agent and administration costs.
	The Highways Agency does not hold estimates for the costs of construction of a new motorway with emergency refuges at any distance, as they have never undertaken or considered a project of this type. The M42 Active Traffic Management Pilot cost 9.0 million per mile but this scheme added hard shoulder running and emergency refuge areas at around 500 metres to an existing three-lane motorway with hard shoulder. However, costs will vary on a scheme by scheme basis and so the M42 pilot might not represent the typical cost of adding hard shoulder running with emergency refuge areas at around 500 m.
	Following the Advanced Motorway Signalling and Traffic Management Feasibility Study, further work is under way to examine in detail the scope for a wider roll-out of dynamic hard shoulder running. This will include analysis of the cost of adding hard shoulder running to existing motorways with emergency refuges at around 800 m.

Rolling Stock

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make it his policy, when assessing the benefits of new railway rolling stock, to base such an assessment on the operational life of the stock rather than the length of franchise.

Paul Clark: holding answer 13 October 2008
	 When taking a decision to procure or require the procurement of new rolling stock, the Department for Transport's policy is to assess the life-time costs and benefits of that rolling stock. It is also open to the Department to take into account the life-time benefits of bidder proposals when appropriate in franchise competitions, for instance when considering the purchase of options.

Speed Limits

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what speed limit reviews his Department requires from local authorities before 2011; what guidance has been issued on how to conduct these reviews; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department provides local traffic authorities with guidance to ensure local speed limits are appropriately and consistently set. The latest guidance was published on 8 August 2006 in DfT Circular 01/2006, Setting Local Speed Limits, and requested traffic authorities review speed limits on all of their A and B roads, and implement any necessary changes by 2011.
	The Transport Research Laboratory (TRL) developed a Speed Assessment Framework to assist traffic authorities with their decision making process with specific regard to rural single carriageway roads. The framework is available as a Traffic Advisory leaflet and as a downloadable spreadsheet from the TRL website.

Stansted Airport: Exhaust Emissions

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the additional greenhouse gas emissions that would result from an expansion of air traffic capacity at Stansted airport.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Our current forecasts of UK aviation carbon dioxide emissions were reported in UK Air Passenger Demand and CO2 Forecasts, published in November 2007 and available at:
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/aviation/environmentalissues/ukairdemandandco2forecasts/
	According to these forecasts, using Stansted's existing runway to the new maximum permitted capacity would result in additional carbon dioxide emissions of around one million tonnes per annum by 2015. This would be equivalent to an increase of less than 1 per cent. in total UK transport emissions, or an increase of around 0.2 per cent. in total UK emissions.
	These forecasts also show that the opening of a second runway at Stansted, which will be the subject of a separate planning inquiry in 2009, would cause the UK's annual carbon dioxide emissions to increase by an additional 2.3 million tonnes per annum, when averaged over the period 2015 to 2075.
	The Government's strategy for tackling the climate change impacts of aviation are set out in the 2003 Air Transport White Paper. Our view is that the most effective way of tackling the climate change impacts of aviation is through including the aviation sector in a well designed, international emissions trading regime. This would ensure that any increase in greenhouse gas emissions from the aviation sector would be matched by a corresponding reduction in another sector, which the aviation industry would pay for.

Tolls

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he plans to  (a) increase the number of toll roads in England and  (b) remove existing toll roads.

Paul Clark: There are currently no plans to increase the number of toll roads or remove tolls where currently applied. As set out in the recent document: 'RoadsDelivering Choice and Reliability', the Department for Transport is considering the role that tolled lanes could play in managing new capacity.

Trains

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many train carriages have been refurbished in the last five years.

Paul Clark: Rolling stock goes through major overhaul cycles approximately every six years, which would mean the majority of rolling stock will have had some form of modernisation in the last five years. The specific information requested is not collected by the Department for Transport.

Trains: Crimes of Violence

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many violent assaults there were on passengers on trains in each of the last five years.

Paul Clark: This information is not held by the Department for Transport, but by the British Transport Police who can be contacted at: British Transport Police, 25 Camden Road, London NW1 9LN, e-mail:
	parliament@btp.pnn.police.uk

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Agriculture: Subsidies

Geoffrey Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what progress has been made in the processing of partial succession payments for the  (a) Farm Woodland Scheme and  (b) Farm Woodland Premium Scheme; and if he will make a statement.

Huw Irranca-Davies: Out of more than 10,500 Farm Woodland Scheme (FWS) and Farm Woodland Premium Scheme (FWPS) agreements existing in 2007, only 25 of them (one FWS and 24 FWPS) have been affected by partial succession. The total value of payments due for 2007 under these 25 agreements was 38,000 and so far, 5,000 has been paid. The Forestry Commission is expecting to pay the remainder within the next four weeks.
	Of the 2008 payments due this autumn, 42 agreements (three FWS and 39 FWPS) are affected by partial succession. The Forestry Commission expects to be able to make payments for all of these, provided that they are not affected by other regulatory issues, by the end of 2008.

Batteries: Recycling

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what guidance he has received from the Waste and Resources Action Programme on the implementation of EU Directive 2006/66 on the recycling of batteries;
	(2)  what plans his Department has to increase capacity for battery recycling;
	(3)  what progress has been made towards establishing collection schemes for batteries.

Jane Kennedy: We are currently preparing regulations to implement the EU batteries directive. The directive requires greatly increased collection, treatment and recycling of batteries by 2012 with a further target by 2016. In accordance with the directive the UK regulations will require all shops who sell a significant quantity of batteries to collect batteries returned by members of the public. In addition batteries producers will need to set up other collections to meet their targets under the directive.
	The Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) has worked in partnership with a range of Local Authorities and not-for-profit organisations that already run recycling collection services to pilot portable waste battery collection trials in the UK. Trials include establishing 'drop off points at supermarkets, as well as other methods of collection such as at the kerbside.
	WRAP'S full report on the results from the trials is due shortly and will be available on the WRAP and DEFRA websites. It will be used to help Government and batteries producers to identify the best methods of collecting batteries.
	We expect that the additional collection, treatment and recycling required will provide opportunities for UK companies to invest in increased capacity for battery recycling.

Bluetongue Disease: Vaccination

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he expects the vaccine for bluetongue to be available; whether there are plans to provide a vaccine for each strain of the disease; and whether cattle that have been vaccinated will be allowed  (a) into and  (b) out of the bluetongue zone.

Jane Kennedy: The UK was the first EU member state to order Bluetongue Virus (BTV) vaccine, and on 30 April 2008, the first batches became available, ahead of schedule, for use in the Protection Zone. The protection zone was expanded over the summer and since 1 September has covered the whole of England, enabling farmers to protect their animals from the threat of Bluetongue (searotype 8).
	Protection zone restrictions apply to all keepers in the zone. Animals can only be moved out of the protection zone if they are vaccinated, naturally immune or moving for slaughter, subject to meeting certain conditions.
	There are currently no vaccines licensed for us in the UK for other Bluetongue serotypes. We are currently in discussion with the veterinary profession and industry stakeholders on our vaccination plans for 2009.

Bluetongue Disease: Vaccination

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs for how many strains of bluetongue the Government has vaccines available.

Jane Kennedy: The UK was the first country in Europe to place an order for BTV8 vaccine. This vaccine is now available to farmers across England and Wales. The Government do not have available vaccines for any other BTV serotypes.
	There are currently no vaccines licensed for use in the UK for other bluetongue serotypes. We are currently in discussion with the veterinary profession and industry stakeholders on our vaccination plans for 2009.

Cereals: Exports

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many tonnes of grain grown in the UK were exported in each of the last three years, broken down by country of destination; and how much in each year was exported for  (a) the production of food products and  (b) the manufacture of bio-fuels.

Jane Kennedy: The following table shows the volume of cereals exported from the UK from 2005 to July 2008 broken down by country of destination. It is not possible to identify which of these will be used for food products or biofuels.
	
		
			  UK exports of cereals 2005 to July 2008 by destination 
			  Thousand tonnes 
			  Country  2005  2006  2007  2008( 1) 
			 Spain 1,848 1,211 981 221 
			 Irish Republic 273 506 305 101 
			 Portugal 422 265 322 91 
			 Netherlands 142 258 303 83 
			 Germany 90 169 213 52 
			 France 284 111 58 3 
			 Belgium 61 57 90 70 
			 Tunisia 122 23 19 53 
			 Italy 51 37 47 12 
			 Poland  20 4 107 
			 Algeria 0  25 98 
			 Morocco 13 18 12 65 
			 Denmark 2 8 7 42 
			 Saudi Arabia 55 0 0 0 
			 Greece 15 13 13 6 
			 Norway  11 15 11 
			 Cyprus  3 7 15 
			 Other countries 13 37 21 23 
			  
			 All countries 3,391 2,747 2,442 1,052 
			 (1 )January to July (2) Less than half the final digit shown  Note: 2008 data are subject to amendments  Source: H M Revenue and Customs

Domestic Waste: Waste Disposal

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what research his Department has commissioned in relation to household waste prevention and restriction in the last five years.

Jane Kennedy: The Waste and Resources Evidence Programme is completing a number of research projects under the themes of household waste prevention and behaviour change as listed as follows. 12 such projects were funded in 2005-06 and a further four projects were added to this portfolio in 2006-07.
	 Title
	Understanding Household Waste Prevention Behaviour
	Building greater understanding of the techniques and processes required to promote sustainable waste management through behaviour change programmes
	Achieving household waste prevention and promoting sustainable resource use through product service systems
	Project REDUCE Monitoring and EvaluationDeveloping tools to measure waste prevention
	Developing a programme of practical waste minimisation schemes to take forward recent research on consumer behaviour and behavioural change
	Household Waste Prevention Policy Side Research Programme
	Household Waste Prevention Activity in Dorset
	Lifestyle Scenarios: The Futures for Waste Composition
	Modelling the Impact of Lifestyle Changes on Household Waste Arisings
	Social enterprises and sustainable waste and resource management: Evaluating impacts, capacities and opportunities
	Replicating Success: Social enterprises and the waste sector in London
	Establishing the behaviour change evidence base to inform community-based waste prevention and recycling
	Benefits of Community Sector involvement in Waste Management
	Attitudes to use of Organic Resources on Land
	Enhancing participation in kitchen waste collection scheme
	Assessing the potential role of community initiatives in biowaste collection and processing.
	The Department has just commissioned a review study to help distil the evidence emerging from this and other research focussed on waste prevention. This new project is scheduled to report in the spring of 2009. The project team will work with DEFRA staff to consolidate findings from the Waste and Resources Evidence Programme, the Environmental Behaviours Unit and other parts of DEFRA, together with work undertaken by the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) and the Environment Agency and other relevant published work.

Fisheries: Nature Conservation

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will hold discussions at EU level to seek to ensure that action to prevent fishing activity on sites designated as being of European importance is taken under the Habitats Directive.

Huw Irranca-Davies: My officials are in regular contact with the Commission on this matter. While sites of Community importance are designated under the EC habitats directive (92/43/EEC) any action that may be required to restrict fishing activity in these areas would be taken under the common fisheries policy.

Flood Control: Agriculture

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much funding his Department has budgeted to spend on projects investigating the contribution of farming to flood attenuation on flood plains in the next three years.

Jane Kennedy: There is a large body of current research examining the impact of land use and land management on flood risk management. Examples include the Environment Agency funded flood risk management research consortium and the DEFRA-led multi-objective flood management demonstration project, which is spending 500,000 to look at the impact of land use management on flood risk management.
	The Environment Agency's science programme spends over 4 million annually investigating flood and coastal risk. The programme contains projects that consider the impact farming can have on flood risk.

Floods: Farms

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will amend regulations to allow farmers easier access to their land during flood conditions.

Jane Kennedy: As part of the cross-compliance requirements linked to EU direct aid payments, EU member states must define minimum requirements for good agricultural and environmental condition. One such requirement in England is a restriction on farmers carrying out mechanical field operations or using motorised vehicles on waterlogged soil to maintain soil structure and prevent compaction when soils are waterlogged.
	Where exceptional weather conditions exist the Secretary of State can grant temporary exemptions from that requirement to enable farmers to, for example, harvest their crops. The Secretary of State granted such an exemption on 10 September this year until 4 October due to the exceptional weather conditions and this has recently been extended until 25 October. A similar exemption was also granted last year. It is important to note that farmers are still required to assess any resulting damage to soil and take remedial action as soon as possible.

Floods: Livestock

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the level of loss of livestock incurred in the recent floods.

Jane Kennedy: The floods in the north-east in September caused considerable difficulties to livestock farmers in the area. We have not assessed the number of livestock lost but local estimates indicate the numbers were relatively low, although a small number of individual farmers may have faced significant losses. Local and regional bodies, including local authorities, One North East, and representatives from the National Farmers' Union (NFU) and Animal Health, worked closely together to assist those affected.

Floods: Morpeth

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the operation of flood warnings to parts of Morpeth during the recent floods.

Jane Kennedy: The Environment Agency is assessing the operation of flood warnings in Morpeth during the recent floods. The Environment Agency is reviewing the number and extent of warning areas and is revising its procedures to ensure that only the correct sequence of warnings can be issued in Morpeth.

Food: Procurement

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what progress his Department has made on the development of a local food procurement policy.

Jane Kennedy: The legal framework governing public procurement does not allow public bodies to give greater weight to locally produced food and drink when awarding contracts. This is because public bodies are required to ensure public procurement is fair, transparent and not used to discriminate by setting up barriers to free trade. It would also reduce competition contrary to UK public procurement policy that is designed to achieve value for money for the taxpayer.
	The legal and policy framework does provide public bodies with plenty of flexibility to be innovative in their procurement and, for example, we are encouraging them through the Public Sector Food Procurement Initiative (PSFPI) to increase tendering opportunities for small and local producers. How they can do this is explained in the advice on the PSFPI website, including the guides Putting it into practice and How to increase opportunities for small and local producers when aggregating food procurement.

Incinerators: Hazardous Substances

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what information his Department uses when formulating guidance for the public and local authorities about the assessment of safety of incinerator bottom ash.

Jane Kennedy: My Department has not produced any guidance on the assessment of the safety of incinerator bottom ash. The Environment Agency, as the principal regulator for the waste controls in England and Wales, has recently produced a position note on the classification of incinerator bottom ash, which is available on their website.

Incinerators: Pollution

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what research the Environment Agency has undertaken in conjunction with the Environmental Services Association to evaluate the toxicity testing of incinerator bottom ash;
	(2)  what are the most recent test results on the toxicity of incinerator bottom ash to have been made public;
	(3)  if he will place in the Library a copy of the study undertaken by the Environmental Services Association with the support of the Environment Agency on H14 ecotoxicity testing of incinerator bottom ash.

Jane Kennedy: The Environment Agency has not undertaken any research in conjunction with the Environmental Services Association to evaluate the toxicity testing of incinerator bottom ash. However, we understand a study was undertaken by the Environmental Services Association into this issue, but the Department has not seen and does not possess its results.
	More generally, the operators of incinerators are required by their environmental permits to report periodically on the elemental composition of the bottom ashes produced by the incinerators. These reports do not equate to test results on toxicity testing. The reports are placed on the Environment Agency's Public Register and can be inspected at the Environment Agency's Area offices.

Landfill: Hazardous Substances

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what toxicity tests his Department requires to be undertaken of landfill disposal of non-hazardous waste.

Jane Kennedy: Where waste is destined for landfill, it is the responsibility of the waste producer to characterise the waste and determine whether it is non-hazardous. Non-hazardous waste is not required to be tested for toxicity.
	Landfill operators may be required to carry out certain monitoring and testing under the terms of their environmental permit.

Marine Bill: Draft

John Leech: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what consideration has been given to merging the provisions of the Marine Bill and the Marine Navigation Bill in a single Bill.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The links between the Marine Bill and Marine Navigation Bill have been considered and the issue was briefly discussed by the Joint Committee on the Draft Marine Bill during its pre-legislative scrutiny. Work on the Marine Navigation Bill is being led by the Department for Transport. The Marine Bill is concerned with creating and delivering a strategic management framework for the UK's marine resources. By contrast, the Marine Navigation Bill is concerned very specifically with improving safety at sea and in our ports, and with updating the powers of the bodies responsible for maritime safety.
	Although there is no direct linkage between the Marine Navigation Bill and the Marine Bill, there are possible synergies with the proposals for the setting up of the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) to deliver marine functions around the UK, such as licensing. In this they are complementary, sharing aims of better regulation, but the two Bills are otherwise too different to justify combining them into a single Bill.

Pigeons: Avian Influenza

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans his Department has to undertake a new risk assessment on the impact of avian influenza on racing pigeons.

Jane Kennedy: The veterinary risk assessment (VRA) relating to pigeon racing and avian influenza has been reviewed and as a result the General Licence for bird gatherings was amended. This took place on 8 September and details can be found on our website.
	Racing pigeons are no longer required to undergo a seven day isolation following a race from continental Europe and pigeons from outside the UK will no longer be required to be in the UK for 28 days prior to a race. This means that pigeons from continental Europe can now be gathered with birds from the UK without undergoing a quarantine period.
	In the event of an avian influenza outbreak or case, DEFRA will assess if the General Licence in force at that time needs to be revoked or amended.

Plastics: Waste Disposal

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the implications of the outcomes of research on the dissolution of polythene by the application of microbes for his policy to reduce the amount of plastic packaging in the waste stream; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: DEFRA are aware of academic research on this issue in the USA and Japan. The technology would need considerable development before it can be applied in industrial use.
	In the meantime, we are looking at other ways to reduce the amount of plastic packaging used at source, including through reducing the amount of plastic used per unit of packaging.
	DEFRA is commissioning evidence reviews to identify the life cycle impacts of various types of plastic; this will help determine our future policies on plastics packaging.

Powers of Entry

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what  (a) primary and  (b) secondary legislation sponsored by his Department and its predecessor has (i) amended and (ii) enhanced existing powers of entry since May 1997.

Huw Irranca-Davies: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to him on 8 October 2008,  Official Report, column 577W.

Rabies

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many cases of rabies were reported in the UK in each of the last three years; and what steps the Government are taking to reduce the incidence of rabies world-wide.

Jane Kennedy: There have been no cases of classical rabies in the last three years (September 2005 to October 2008) in the UK outside of UK quarantine facilities. Rabies was confirmed in two puppies in a UK quarantine facility in Chingford in April this year. These puppies were imported into quarantine from Sri Lanka.
	A strain of rabies called European Bat Lyssavirus (or bat rabies) has been found in Daubenton's bats in the UK on three occasions since September 2005. Details are available on the DEFRA website.
	Action against rabies disease worldwide is the responsibility of the Department for International Development.
	DEFRA supports a large programme of research into rabies and related viruses, with some 500,000 committed annually for studies undertaken at the Veterinary Laboratories Agency (VLA) and the Central Science Laboratory (CSL).
	There are two main thrusts to the work underway, with VLA taking forward studies to characterise rabies viruses isolated from across the globe that will develop our knowledge of potential threats and inform on effectiveness of vaccines. The VLA also serve as the international reference laboratory for rabies and take forward research on the development and validation of diagnostic tests.
	The research at CSL seeks to understand the ecology and management of wildlife vectors of rabies in support of contingency planning for wildlife rabies control.

Sewers

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what representations he has received on the transfer of all private sewers and lateral drains that drain to the public sewer to the ownership and responsibility of water and sewerage companies; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: The Government announced in February 2007 its decision to transfer private sewers and lateral drains draining to the public sewerage system into water company ownership. We subsequently published a public consultation in July 2007 on implementation options for the proposed transfer. The consultation also posed questions on the scope of assets to be included in the transfer and ways in which the creation of new private sewers can be prevented.
	A summary of responses was published in March 2008 and we are currently preparing proposals for implementation with the help of a steering group of key stakeholders. The work of the steering group will inform the decision on the timing of transfer and the drafting of regulations to implement the transfer. We expect to be in a position to make an announcement on implementation later this year. A detailed breakdown of consultation responses is available on DEFRA's web pages.

Tobacco: Agriculture

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which EU countries grow tobacco; and how much EU subsidy tobacco producers in each such country received in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Jane Kennedy: Tobacco is grown primarily in Italy and Greece. Smaller quantities are also grown in Spain, France, Portugal, Germany, Bulgaria, Hungary, Slovakia, Poland, Romania, Belgium and Austria. Overall, production is in decline.
	A CAP production aid is payable to EU tobacco producers until its agreed abolition in 2010. Total expenditure on this aid in 2007 was 335.5 million. We do not have a breakdown of expenditure by member state.

Warm Front Scheme

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how the costs of asbestos removal are factored in to grants under the Warm Front Scheme.

Joan Ruddock: I have been asked to reply.
	Asbestos removal is only undertaken when its presence directly impedes the installation of heating and/or insulation measures. The removal of asbestos to enable the installation of insulation measures is judged on a case by case basis, where the cost to remove the asbestos and the improvement of energy efficiency are considered. The costs incurred in undertaking asbestos removal are met using Warm Front funding, but are not assigned to any individual householder's grant monies.

Warm Front Scheme

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what procedures are in place to assess the satisfaction of householders with the completion of works under the Warm Front Scheme.

Joan Ruddock: I have been asked to reply.
	Eaga and DEFRA have procedures that both directly and indirectly assess the quality of work and associated customer satisfaction in the Warm Front Scheme.
	A works completion certificate must be signed by customers for each measure provided through the Warm Front Scheme. This certificate is a declaration that work is complete and fitted to the satisfaction of the customer. Without a valid signed certificate Eaga will not pay for work invoiced. In addition to this, 100 per cent. of heating works and 5 per cent. of insulation works undertaken through the scheme are independently inspected to ensure they meet the high levels of quality installation expected of the scheme. Installers are required to perform any remedial work identified at inspection within 28 days of notification. Remedial actions resulting in inspection failure have the same timeline imposed and will be re-inspected once action is taken.
	Where a customer may not wish to discuss their concerns directly or face to face, Eaga also provides quality assurance through several other media including e-mail, letter, the availability of customer service staff and related installer management back office support.
	Twice a year Eaga also commissions independent measurement of Warm Front customer satisfaction at each of the six stages of service delivery, commencing with initial contact through to the provision of aftercare.
	Finally, Eaga carries out several focus groups each year both with Warm Front customers and service delivery staff. Information gleaned is acted on appropriately as part of its commitment to continuous improvement.
	DEFRA itself gauges customer satisfaction through customer opinion polls undertaken by National Energy Action, and also by means of twice yearly audits of the scheme by White Young Green and periodic audits by the National Audit Office.

Warm Front Scheme

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what steps his Department takes to ensure that grant limits for householders under the Warm Front Scheme are set in line with cost of works charged by contractors in their local market;
	(2)  what steps his Department takes to ensure that prices quoted for work under the Warm Front Scheme reflect those charged locally by contractors outside the scheme.

Joan Ruddock: I have been asked to reply.
	Although the Warm Front Scheme household grant limit is set centrally and is applicable across England, the scheme does provide a higher grant of 4,000 for oil central heating for properties off the gas network in view of the additional cost of these installations, in comparison to 2,700 for all other systems.
	The prices charged for Warm Front have been set regionally to reflect the local installer market. Installers in each region provided independent quotations for each installation type, and the most economically advantageous quotes (in most instances the lowest) were selected. The prices of these selected tenders were averaged and set as the installer rate for that region.
	These processes were overseen by independent quality assessors, employed by DEFRA, to ensure the prices charged by the scheme are fair and reflect the market rate. These quality assessors have since undertaken reviews of Warm Front pricing to ensure Warm Front charges continue to offer value for money. These reviews are available on the DEFRA website.

Warm Front Scheme

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the Warm Front budget was in each of the last five years.

Joan Ruddock: I have been asked to reply.
	I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Bromley and Chislehurst (Robert Neill) on 30 June 2008,  Official Report, column 548.

Warm Front Scheme

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps his Department takes to monitor the end use of boilers identified as in need of replacement through the Warm Front scheme.

Joan Ruddock: I have been asked to reply.
	Eaga plc, the Warm Front Scheme Manager, regularly audits every installer on a number of operational fronts. As part of the environmental audit Eaga checks a proportion of the heating jobs to ensure that all of the necessary paperwork is present. Where a boiler is replaced the installer is responsible for the safe disposal of the old boiler. For this a registered waste disposal company removes the boiler, this may be the installer or their registered subcontractor, to a registered waste disposal site and a waste disposal note is obtained from the site operators.

Warm Front Scheme

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps his Department takes to prevent fraudulent use of fuel-switching grants offered by the Warm Front scheme.

Joan Ruddock: I have been asked to reply.
	The Warm Front Scheme does not offer Fuel Switching grants.

Waterwise: Finance

Douglas Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs from which sources Waterwise receives public funding.

Jane Kennedy: Not-for-profit NGO Waterwise receives no core funding from the Government. Its core funding is about 300,000 per annum, which is received from all water undertakers in the UK, both public and private. Its programme funding, which is an additional 350,000, is self-generated through income-raising activities. This includes an annual conference, the Waterwise Marque, partnerships with corporate and other NGOs, as well as research projects. DEFRA, the Communities and Local Government, the Greater London authority and the Environment Agency have all contributed funds for specific projects.

TREASURY

Banks: Regulation

Dai Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the dates were of each meeting he and his predecessor held with the Chairman of the Financial Services Authority (FSA) to discuss the adequacy of regulatory oversight of the financing models for British-based banks; and if he will  (a) place in the Library and  (b) post on his Department's website copies of all correspondence between him and his predecessor and the FSA on banking oversight and reform since January 2006.

Ian Pearson: Treasury Ministers meet the chairman and chief executive of the Financial Services Authority regularly to discuss a range of issues.

Bradford and Bingley

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has received from mutual organisations on the financial effect on them as a result of the Bradford and Bingley rescue; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: It is right that action to protect Bradford and Bingley depositors should over time be funded by members of the FSCS through the levy mechanism.
	It is the FSA that sets out how different classes of member of the FSCS may be levied in different circumstances in its rules.

Civil Servants: Relocation

David Anderson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many Civil Service jobs have been relocated to the North East of England under the Lyons Review.

Chris Mullin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many public service jobs have been re-allocated from the South East to the North East of England in the last four years; and if he will make a statement.

Yvette Cooper: By December 2007, 750 posts had been relocated to the North East as part of the relocation programme. Overall, 3,580 civil service posts have been created in the North East since 2003.

Debts

Dai Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the level of  (a) household and  (b) business indebtedness in (i) each Parliamentary constituency, (ii) each area covered by a regional development agency, (iii) Northern Ireland, (iv) Scotland and (v) Wales.

Angela Eagle: Data on household and business balance sheets are published by the Office for National Statistics on a quarterly and annual basis. However, this data is not available by parliamentary constituency or region.

Departmental Air Travel

James Duddridge: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer to the right hon. Member for Horsham (Mr. Maude) of 14 July 2008,  Official Report, column 27W, on carbon emissions: Government departments, how much air mileage incurred through departmental travel was used to calculate the departmental payment to the Government Carbon Offsetting Fund in each year that his Department has participated in the fund, broken down by  (a) domestic,  (b) short haul and  (c) long haul flights.

Angela Eagle: In 2006-07 the Government Carbon Offsetting Fund were only broken down into long haul and short haul, but for 2007-08 a third category for domestic flights has been added for calculation purposes.
	The mileage used for calculations for GCOF payments is as follows:
	
		
			  Miles 
			   Short haul  Long haul  Domestic 
			 2006-07(1) 1,954,044 1,533,738  
			 2007-08(2) 190,127 780,756 1,023,189 
			 (1) These are for HM Treasury, but included some flights taken by Debt Management Office. (2) These figures are for HM Treasury.

Excise Duties: Fuel Oil

Colin Challen: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  whether he has assessed of the likely effect of the rate of duty to be applied to waste-derived fuel oil from 1 November 2008 on  (a) the volume of hazardous waste oil recovered and reprocessed,  (b) the level of investment in the collection and reprocessing of hazardous waste oil,  (c) the volume of secondary fuel product manufactured,  (d) the volume of hazardous waste oil sent to landfill and  (e) the volume of hazardous waste oil incinerated;
	(2)  if the Government will  (a) delay the introduction of hydrocarbon oil duty until the Waste Oils Protocol project is complete and  (b) exercise the discretion provided under the Energy Products Directive to observe differentiation in the application of hydrocarbon oil duty to reflect the product quality and environmental impact of different waste-derived fuel oils once the Waste Oils Protocol project is complete;
	(3)  what assessment he has made of whether the rate of duty to be applied to waste-derived fuel oil from 1 November 2008 is consistent with Government obligations under the Waste Framework Directive to encourage the recovery and reuse of waste;
	(4)  for what reasons the Government has decided not to exercise the discretion to date provided under the Energy Products Directive to observe differentiation in the application of hydrocarbon oil duty to reflect the product quality and environmental impact of different waste-derived fuel oils;
	(5)  what factors the Government took into account when deciding to apply a rate of duty of 9.29 pence per litre, rather than the 15 euros per 1,000 kilograms minimum required under the Energy Products Directive.

Angela Eagle: The UK is required to impose duty on waste oils reused as fuel as a result of the European Commission's refusal to renew our derogation from the EU energy products directive. The imposition of duty should have no adverse affects on the volume of waste oil recovered, as correct disposal of hazardous waste is a legal requirement.
	The imposition of duty at the rate to be applied is consistent with the relevant EU directives, which require member states to take measures to give preference to the regeneration of waste oil above combustion.

Ordnance Survey: Databases

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Bromley and Chislehurst of 26 June 2008,  Official Report, column 465W, on Ordnance Survey: databases, how much the Ordnance Survey has spent advertising the products listed in the answer.

Iain Wright: I have been asked to reply.
	In the year 2007-08, the last complete year for which information is available, Ordnance Survey spent a total of 25,500 on advertising the digital data products 1:10 000 scale raster, 1:50 000 scale colour raster, 1:250 000 scale colour raster, Land-Line Plus, OS MasterMap Topography Layer, OS MasterMap Address Layer, OS MasterMap Address Layer 2, ADDRESS-POINT, Boundary-Line and Code-Point with Polygons.

Powers of Entry

James Duddridge: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what  (a) primary and  (b) secondary legislation sponsored by his Department has (i) amended and (ii) enhanced existing powers of entry since May 1997.

Angela Eagle: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply given by my hon. Friend the Minister of State for the Home Department (Mr. Coaker) on 7 October 2008,  Official Report, column 577W. Of the legislation he referred to, my Department has sponsored the following:
	 (a) Primary legislation
	(1) The Financial Services and Markets Act 2000; and
	(2) The Finance Act 2003.
	 (b) Secondary legislation
	(1) The Money Laundering Regulations 2007 (SI 2157/2007);
	(2) The Transfer of Funds (Information on the Payer) Regulations 2007 (SI 3298/2007); and
	(3) The Biofuels and Other Fuel Substitutes (Payment of Excise Duties etc.) Regulations 2004.

Public Expenditure

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when the Government's factual paper on the Barnett formula will be published.

Yvette Cooper: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Carmarthen, East and Dinefwr (Adam Price) on 21 July 2008,  Official Report, column 729W.

Public Sector: Pensions

Philip Hammond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will place in the Library a document containing the underlying assumptions for the Government's latest estimate of total public service pension scheme liabilities.

Yvette Cooper: The underlying assumptions for the Government's latest estimate of total unfunded public service scheme liabilities are explained in paragraph 4.14 of the March 2008 Long Term Public Finance Report, in particular Box 4.3 on page 38, published on Budget day.
	This document can be found here:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/media/AE/bud08_longterm 586.pdf

Public Sector: Pensions

Chris Grayling: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many new public sector pensions were opened in each of the last 10 years.

Yvette Cooper: Membership data on individual public sector pension schemes is available in their published resource accounts.

Taxation: Aviation

Sarah Teather: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what guidance his Department has issued to airline companies on the refunding of tax on unused airline tickets.

Angela Eagle: I refer the hon. Member to the answer the former Financial Secretary to the Treasury gave to the hon. Member for Altrincham and Sale, West (Mr. Brady) on 7 October 2008,  Official Report, column 591W.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

China: Taiwan

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps his Department has taken to facilitate the development of relations between Taiwan and mainland China since the election of President Ma in March 2008.

Bill Rammell: On 22 March my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary publicly encouraged increased dialogue between China and Taiwan to resolve differences, with a view to finding a peaceful solution to the Taiwan question acceptable to the people on both sides of the Strait. We have taken every opportunity since then to convey these views to the Chinese government, and through unofficial channels, to the Taiwanese authorities. We have given strong support to EU statements to the same end.
	We have also encouraged both sides to find solutions to allow Taiwan's greater participation in selected multilateral forums where this is important to global interests. In particular, we look forward to a solution before next year's World Health Assembly which will allow Taiwan's more effective participation in the global health safety net.

Diplomatic Service: Tolls

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which countries' diplomatic missions have indicated to his Department that they will not pay the London congestion charge.

Gillian Merron: The diplomatic missions of the following countries have indicated that they will not pay the London congestion charge:
	Austria;
	Belgium;
	Belarus;
	Bulgaria;
	Cameroon;
	Cyprus;
	Czech Republic;
	Denmark;
	Finland;
	France;
	Germany;
	Greece;
	Hungary;
	India;
	Japan;
	Kenya;
	Latvia;
	Lithuania;
	Malta;
	Mexico;
	Moldova;
	Poland;
	Romania;
	Russia;
	Slovak Republic;
	Slovenia;
	Spain;
	Uganda;
	USA.

Pakistan: Detainees

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs with reference to the answer of 13 September 2006,  Official Report, column 2317W, what recent steps the High Commission in Karachi has taken to gain consular access to Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh; what recent reports he has received on the progress of Mr Sheikh's case; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: Our high commission in Islamabad has continued to make representations to the national and provincial authorities in Pakistan with regard to gaining consular access to Mr. Sheikh. Consular staff in Karachi are in contact with Mr. Sheikh's lawyer about progress on his case.

Republic of Ireland: Personal Savings

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he plans to lodge a formal complaint at the European Commission against the government of Ireland's decision to guarantee all Irish savings deposits.

Ian Pearson: I have been asked to reply.
	The Government continue to be engaged in discussion with the Irish authorities, other member states, and the European Commission on issues relating to deposit guarantee schemes in the EU, including the recent meeting of EU Finance Ministers (ECOFIN) which took place in Luxembourg on 7 October. The Irish government has recently announced that certain subsidiaries of foreign banks would be able to join this scheme.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Antisocial Behaviour

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with reference to the one day count of antisocial behaviour published in September 2003, whether her Department has conducted a more recent study of the number of daily reported incidents of anti-social behaviour in England and Wales.

Jacqui Smith: The Home Office has not conducted a recent study on the number of daily reported incidents of antisocial behaviour in England and Wales.

Antisocial Behaviour

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps the Government have taken to encourage local authorities to assist in reducing antisocial behaviour.

Alan Campbell: holding answer 9 October 2008
	We have provided practitioners with a wide range of tools and powers to tackle antisocial behaviour, issued guidance on their use, provide information through a practitioner website and set up a free telephone advice line to provide specific support on individual problems. We also deliver regional workshops to help local practitioners make the best use of the available tools and powers.

Asylum

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many asylum seekers' applications had been outstanding for  (a) six months to one year,  (b) one to two years,  (c) two to three years,  (d) three to four years,  (e) four to five years,  (f) five to six years,  (g) six to seven years,  (h) seven to eight years,  (i) eight to nine years,  (j) nine to 10 years and  (k) more than 10 years on 31 December in each of the last 11 years;
	(2)  how many outstanding asylum seekers' applications there were on 31 December in each of the last 11 years.

Phil Woolas: The following table shows the number of cases awaiting initial decision at the end of the year for 1997 to 2007.
	Cases awaiting initial decision at end of year(1)(, 2)
	This information is available from Table 1.1 in the annual Statistical Bulletin Asylum Statistics United Kingdom 2007 for 1998 to 2007
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs08/hosb1108.pdf
	and from table 1.1 in the annual Statistical Bulletin Asylum Statistics United Kingdom 2006 for 1997
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs07/hosb1407.pdf
	Copies of these publications are available from the Library of the house and from the Home Office's Research, Development and Statistics website at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration-asylum-stats.html.
	Information about the length of time that asylum applications have been outstanding can only be obtained at disproportionate cost by examination of each of the individual case records.
	(1) Data for 1997 and 1998 are not directly comparable with figures for later years.
	(2) Figures are rounded to the nearest 100.
	
		
			   Number of cases awaiting initial decision outcome at end of year 
			 1997 51,800 
			 1998 64,800 
			 1999 125,100 
			 2000 94,500 
			 2001 42,200 
			 2002 41,300 
			 2003 23,900 
			 2004 9,700 
			 2005 5,500 
			 2006 6,400 
			 2007(1) 6,800 
			 (1) Provisional figures.

Asylum

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how long it took on average to process an asylum seeker's application in each of the last 11 years.

Phil Woolas: Information is available only for average time to initial decision. The following table shows the average time to initial decisions for cases decided between 1997 and 2007. The number of decisions in each year is also shown.
	
		
			  Average time to initial decision and number of decisions, 1997 to 2007( 1, 2, 3, 4) 
			  Year of decision  Average time in months  Number of decisions( 5) 
			 1997 22 32,500 
			 1998 17 31,570 
			 1999 35 33,720 
			 2000 18 109,205 
			 2001 13 120,950 
			 2002 7 83,540 
			 2003 10 64,940 
			 2004 13 46,020 
			 2005 12 27,395 
			 2006(6) 8 20,930 
			 2007(6) 7 21,775 
			 (1) Excluding dependants. (2) Figures are estimates based on cases for which information is recorded. (3) Prior to 2000 based on data from Refugee Index, and the A-CID database for 2000-07. (4) The average length of time (in months) is calculated from date application is lodged to the date of initial decision, and relates to the year in which the decisions were made. (5) Figures are rounded to the nearest 5. (6) Provisional figures.

Asylum

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many asylum seekers entered the UK in each of the last 11 years; and how many such people were aged  (a) under 18 years and  (b) 18 years and over.

Phil Woolas: The following table shows the number of principal asylum applications received in the UK between 1997 and 2007 at a port of entry or at some stage after having entered the country. Figures for 1997 to 2000 have been estimated by applying published percentages for the age categories to the number of total asylum seekers.
	Further information on asylum is published annually and quarterly and is available from the Library of the House and from the Home Office's Research, Development and Statistics Directorate website at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration-asylum-stats.html
	
		
			  Number of principal asylum applications received in the UK by age group, 1997 to 2007( 1) 
			   Number of asylum seekers aged under 18 years  Number of asylum seekers aged 18 years and over 
			 1997 1,600 30,900 
			 1998 4,600 41,400 
			 1999 3,600 67,600 
			 2000 6,400 73,900 
			 2001 8,705 62,660 
			 2002 12,435 71,700 
			 2003 7,865 41,545 
			 2004 6,205 27,755 
			 2005 5,165 20,550 
			 2006 4,580 19,030 
			 2007(2) 3,975 19,420 
			 (1) Figures for 1997 to 2000 have been estimated by applying published percentages of the age categories to the total asylum seekers population. As a result, these data have been rounded to the nearest 100. Data for 2001 to 2007 are rounded to the nearest five. (2) Provisional figures.

Asylum

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) Afghani,  (b) Belarusian,  (c) Burmese,  (d) Chinese,  (e) Colombian,  (f) Cuban,  (g) Democratic Republic of Congo,  (h) Democratic People's Republic of Korea,  (i) Iranian,  (j) Iraqi,  (k) Israeli,  (l) Nepalese,  (m) Pakistani,  (n) Russian,  (o) Saudi Arabian,  (p) Syrian,  (q) Turkmenistani,  (r) Uzbekistani and  (s) Vietnamese nationals were refused asylum in the UK in each of the last (i) 12 months and (ii) five years; and how many in each category are awaiting a decision on an asylum application.

Phil Woolas: The accompanying two tables give the most recently published figures available and show the total number of refusals for  (a) Afghani,  (b) Belarussian,  (c) Burmese,  (d) Chinese,  (e) Colombian,  (f) Cuban,  (g) Democratic Republic of Congo,  (h) Democratic People's Republic of Korea,  (i) Iranian,  (j) Iraqi,  (k) Israeli,  (l) Nepalese,  (m) Pakistani,  (n) Russian,  (o) Saudi Arabian,  (p) Syrian,  (q) Turkmenistani,  (r) Uzbekistani and  (s) Vietnamese nationals people, following initial decisions, (i) between July 2007 and June 2008 and (ii) for each of the last five calendar years.
	The published figure for asylum applications split by nationality for people awaiting an initial decision is not available as the figures are based on an overall manual count which is not broken down into separate categories.
	Information on asylum is published annually and quarterly. Information on many of the nationalities requested are available in these publications. Annual Statistics for 2007 and quarterly statistics for 2008 are available from the Library of the House and from the Home Office Research, Development and Statistics Directorate website at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration-asylum-stats.html
	
		
			  Asylum refusals( 1)  on initial decisions i n the United Kingdom, excluding dependants 2003-07 
			  Total refusals 
			  Nationality  Afghanistan  Belarus  Myanmar (Burma)  China  Colombia  Cuba  Dem. Rep. of Congo  Korea (North)  Iran 
			 2003 3,375 160 105 3,690 315 20 1,685 * 2,930 
			 2004 2,225 180 80 2,525 150 20 1,540 45 3,590 
			 2005 1,050 50 35 1,685 65 15 985 10 2,850 
			 2006 1,310 40 30 1,600 45 15 470 10 1,850 
			 2007(2) 1,490 40 40 1,860 30 10 315 25 1,665 
		
	
	
		
			  Total refusals 
			  Nationality  Iraq  Israel  Nepal  Pakistan  Russia  Saudi Arabia  Syria  Turkmenistan  Uzbekistan  Vietnam 
			 2003 4,580 50 290 2,050 340 0 120 10 20 970 
			 2004 4,615 45 195 1,795 215 * 255 5 25 675 
			 2005 1,676 30 70 1,040 115 0 315 5 15 295 
			 2006 650 15 45 690 85 0 145 5 15 60 
			 2007(2) 1,090 15 25 775 85 0 110 5 20 110 
			 (1) Figures rounded to nearest 5, (*=1 or 2). (2) Provisional figures 
		
	
	
		
			  Asylum refusals on initial decisions( 1,2)  in the United Kingdom, excluding dependants July 2007-June 2008 by month 
			  Total refusals 
			  Nationality  Afghanistan  Belarus  Myanmar (Burma)  China  Colombia  Cuba  Dem. Rep. of Congo  Korea (North)  Iran 
			  2007  
			 July 125 5 10 155 5 0 50 * 120 
			 August 115 0 5 185 5 5 25 * 100 
			 September 90 * 5 185 * 0 20 5 70 
			 October 120 5 * 170 5 * 10 * 115 
			 November 115 * 5 115 * 0 15 5 100 
			 December 70 * * 95 0 0 10 5 65 
			   
			  2008  
			 January 105 * * 135 * * 15 5 110 
			 February 105 5 5 70 * 0 15 10 100 
			 March 100 0 5 45 * 0 15 5 75 
			 April 115 0 5 75 0 * 15 10 105 
			 May 85 0 5 70 * 0 15 10 100 
			 June 100 * 5 85 * 0 15 10 125 
		
	
	
		
			  Total re fusals 
			  Nationality  Iraq  Israel  Nepal  Pakistan  Russia  Saudi Arabia  Syria  Turkmenistan  Uzbekistan  Vietnam 
			  2007   
			 July 85 * * 55 10 0 10 0 5 15 
			 August 85 5 0 50 5 0 10 0 0 5 
			 September 70 0 * 50 5 0 5 * 0 15 
			 October 100 * * 65 5 0 10 0 5 5 
			 November 80 * 5 75 5 0 5 0 0 10 
			 December 60 * 0 45 5 0 10 0 * 10 
			
			  2008   
			 January 80 * 0 50 5 0 5 0 0 5 
			 February 100 * * 60 * 0 5 0 0 15 
			 March 100 * * 60 * 0 5 * 0 10 
			 April 95 0 * 75 5 0 5 0 5 5 
			 May 65 * * 65 * 0 5 0 0 10 
			 June 80 * * 45 5 0 5 * 0 5 
			 (1) Figures rounded to nearest 5, (* = 1 or 2) (2) Provisional figures

Asylum: Bassetlaw

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people seeking asylum are registered as living in Bassetlaw constituency.

Phil Woolas: The numbers of asylum seekers in receipt of support are available broken down by Government Office Region, local authority and parliamentary constituency; these regional breakdowns are available from December 2002. There were two or less people in receipt of support in each of the quarters from Q3 2007 to Q2 2008 in the parliamentary constituency of Bassetlaw.
	The numbers of asylum seekers in receipt of support are published on a quarterly and annual basis. Copies of these publications are available in the Library of the House and from the Home Office Research, Development and Statistics website at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration-asylum-stats.html.

Asylum: Deportation

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many asylum seekers were deported from the UK in each of the last 11 years.

Phil Woolas: The Home Office publishes statistics on the number of asylum seekers removed, including voluntary departures, from the UK on a quarterly and annual basis. The latest published information is provided in the following table and can be found in Table 6.1 of the Control of Immigration: Statistics United Kingdom 2007 bulletin:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs08/hosb1108.pdf
	
		
			  Removals, voluntary departures and assisted returns of asylum applicants( 1)  from the United Kingdom, 1997 to 2007( 2) 
			   Asylum cases 
			   P rincipal  D ependants( 3)  T otal 
			 1997 7,165 n/a n/a 
			 1998 6,990 n/a n/a 
			 1999(4) 7,665 n/a n/a 
			 2000(4) 8,980 n/a n/a 
			 2001(4) 9,285 1,495 10,780 
			 2002 10,740 3,170 13,910 
			 2003 13,005 4,890 17,895 
			 2004 12,595 2,315 14,915 
			 2005 13,730 1,955 15,685 
			 2006 16,330 1,950 18,280 
			 2007(5) 12,705 1,000 13,705 
			 n/a = not available.  (1) Includes enforced removals, port asylum removals which have been performed by enforcement officers using port powers of removal (and a small number of cases dealt with at juxtaposed controls), persons departing voluntarily after enforcement action had been initiated against them, since January 1999 persons leaving under Assisted Voluntary Return Programmes run by the International Organization for Migration and since January 2005 persons who it has been established have left the UK without informing the immigration authorities. (2) Figures rounded to the nearest five and may not sum to the totals shown because of independent rounding. (3) Data on dependants removed are not available before April 2001. (4) Figures may include a small number of dependants leaving under Assisted Voluntary Return Programmes. (5) Provisional figures.

Asylum: Kuwait

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many Kuwaiti Bidoons have claimed asylum in the United Kingdom in the last five years.

Phil Woolas: The requested information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost by examination of individual case records.
	Information on asylum applications is published quarterly. Copies of asylum publications are available from the Library of the House and from the Home Office Research, Development and Statistics Directorate website at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html

Asylum: Occupied Territories

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people from the Occupied Palestinian Territories were refused asylum in the UK in each of the last  (a) 12 months and  (b) five years; and how many are awaiting a decision on an asylum application.

Phil Woolas: The requested information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost by examination of individual case records.
	Information on asylum applications is published quarterly. Copies of asylum publications are available from the Library of the House and from the Home Office Research, Development and Statistics Directorate website at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html

Asylum: Sudan

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many Darfuris have been  (a) granted and  (b) refused asylum in the UK in the last three years.

Phil Woolas: Information on the number of nationals of Sudan that have been granted and refused asylum in the United Kingdom in the last three years can be found in tables 3.1, 3.2 and 3.3 of the annual Statistical Bulletin Asylum Statistics United Kingdom 2007, link attached:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs08/hosb1108.pdf
	and is also available in the Library of the House. It is not known how many Darfuris are included and this could be obtained only by examination of individual case records.

Crime Prevention: ICT

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of computer modelling of crime and its causes.

Jacqui Smith: Officials in the Home Department use a wide range of techniques to analyse crime and its causes, drawn from economics, social research, statistics and operational research. Alongside the qualitative assessment of crime and its effects, models of the causes of crime can help us understand the simultaneous impact of those causes and show which are the most significant.

Crime: Business

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many full-time members of staff her Department employs to deal with business crime.

Jacqui Smith: The information requested can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	Many parts of the Home Office support work to tackle crimes affecting business. This includes developing responses to specific crimes such as fraud, e-crime, retail crime, commercial robbery and criminal damage as well as work to encourage and support business to work closely in partnership with the police and local authorities through the Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships (CDRPs). All of this activity is supported by a number of staff who provide performance advice, and statistical and analytical support.

Crime: Cambridgeshire

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prolific and priority offenders there were in each Basic Command Unit in the Cambridgeshire Constabulary area at  (a) 31 December 2007,  (b) 30 March 2008 and  (c) 30 June 2008; and if she will make a statement.

Alan Campbell: holding answer 13 October 2008
	The most recent data available from the performance management arrangements for the Prolific and other Priority Offender programme covers the period from January to March 2008. This shows that there were 134 Prolific and other Priority Offenders within the area covered by Cambridgeshire Constabulary at the end of March this year. The figure for the end of December 2007 was 135.
	A more detailed breakdown is given in the table.
	
		
			  Basic Command Unit  CDRP/PPO scheme  December 2007  March 2008 
			 Southern Cambridge 35 35 
			 Southern East Cambridgeshire 9 9 
			 Southern South Cambridgeshire 6 6 
			 Central Fenland 13 13 
			 Central Huntingdonshire 43 42 
			 Northern Peterborough 29 29

Crime: Economic Situation

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps she has taken to address potential increases in levels of crime resulting from a downturn in the economy.

Alan Campbell: Since March 2003, overall crime has fallen by 18 per cent., exceeding the 15 per cent. target set out in the Home Office's public service agreement. That reduction is greater than would have been forecast based on socio-economic factors alone, and the Department is confident that the right policies and systems are in place to continue to cut crime and that they provide the flexibility needed to respond to future economic challenges.

Crime: Torbay

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many persons were  (a) charged and  (b) convicted of (i) public order offences and (ii) offences against the person in the Torbay area in each of the last seven years.

Maria Eagle: I have been asked to reply.
	The number of persons proceeded against at magistrates courts and found guilty at all courts for offences relating to the Offences against the persons Act 1861 s.18, 20, and 47, and the Public Order Act 1986 s.1 to 5, in Devon and Cornwall police force area, 2000 to 2006 can be viewed in the following table.
	Court proceedings data are unable to be broken down further than police force area level; hence data has been provided for Devon and Cornwall police force area in lieu of Torbay area.
	Charging data are not held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform. Therefore prosecution data is provided in lieu.
	These data are on the principal offence basis. The figures given in the table on court proceedings relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offence for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences, the offence selected is the one for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe.
	Court proceedings data for 2007 will be available in the autumn of 2008.
	
		
			  N umber of persons proceeded against at magistrates' courts and found guilty at all courts for offences relating to the Offences against the persons Act 1861 s.18, 20, and 47, and the Public Order Act 1986 s. 1  to 5, in Devon and Cornwall police force area, 2000 to 2006( 1,2) 
			   Offences against the person Act 1861, s.18, 20, and 47  Public Order Act 1986 s. 1  to 5 
			   Proceeded against  Found guilty  Proceeded against  Found guilty 
			 2000 918 506 1,748 1,117 
			 2001 850 435 1,647 985 
			 2002 1,060 515 1,630 949 
			 2003 1,104 574 1,525 968 
			 2004 992 530 1,343 966 
			 2005 900 517 1,301 844 
			 2006 686 447 1,174 787 
			 (1) These data are on the principal offence basis. (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.  Source: Office for Criminal Justice Reform - Evidence and Analysis Unit

Crimes Against Humanity

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cases the War Crimes Unit in the Border Agency investigated for  (a) suspected war crimes,  (b) crimes against humanity and  (c) genocide in each year since 2004.

Phil Woolas: The following table shows numbers of cases considered by the war crimes team in each year. The figures quoted are not provided under national statistics protocols and have been derived from local management information and are therefore provisional and subject to change.
	
		
			  Cases considered by war crimes team 
			   Number 
			 2004 49 
			 2005 347 
			 2006 326 
			 2007 600 
			 2008 (January to September) 541 
		
	
	The figures cover all cases in the three categories requested. The information could not be further broken down into the individual categories without the detailed examination of individual case records.

Departmental Data Protection

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many private contractors have been granted access to personal data held by her Department in the last 12 months; and if she will make a statement.

Jacqui Smith: holding answer 11 September 2008
	 The information requested is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Procurement

Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of invoices for goods and services procured from small and medium-sized businesses were paid within 30 days of receipt by  (a) her Department and ( b) the agencies for which her Department is responsible in 2007-08; and if she will make a statement.

Phil Woolas: Details of the prompt payment record can be found in the annual report section (page 23) of the Department's 2007-08 Resource Accounts on the Home Office website at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/documents/resource-accounts-07-08
	It is the Department's policy to pay its suppliers within 30 days of the receipt of a valid invoice, and it subscribes to the CBI code and the British Standard (BS 7890) on the prompt payment of suppliers.

Departmental Security

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many security passes of staff in  (a) her Department and  (b) its departmental agencies were reported (i) lost and (ii) stolen in each year since 2001.

Jacqui Smith: holding answer 18 March 2008
	The number of Home Office security passes reported lost or stolen (broken down where known) yearly since 2001 are in the table. As soon as passes are reported missing, they can be deactivated to prevent entry to the circle door locks. The passes do not have any logo to indicate that they can provide access to the Home Office or a particular building. This is in accordance with the Cabinet Office Manual of Protective Security, which advises each Department to have its own design.
	The number of passes reported lost or stolen increased over 2002-06 due in part to the increase in the numbers of staff and contractors employed but also to improvements in record keeping.
	
		
			  Table 1: Number of Home Office passes lost or stolen since 2001 
			   Number 
			 2001 64 
			 2002 138 
			 2003 291 
			 2004 321 
			   
			 2005  
			 Lost 292 
			 Stolen 18 
			   
			 2006  
			 Lost 396 
			 Stolen 32 
			   
			 2007  
			 Lost 443 
			 Stolen 44 
			   
			 2008 (to end July)  
			 Lost 227 
			 Stolen 24

Drugs: Smuggling

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were  (a) arrested for and  (b) convicted of drug trafficking offences as a result of operations by the Serious Organised Crime Agency in (i) 2006-07 and (ii) 2007-08.

Jacqui Smith: In 2006-07, SOCA recorded that there were 601 arrests and 236 convictions in operations where drug trafficking offences was the primary threat. Similarly in 2007-08 there were 774 arrests and 243 convictions in operations where drug trafficking was the primary threat.

Entry Clearances

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether she plans to introduce a degree of flexibility on deadlines for visa applications that are held up owing to tribunal hearings.

Phil Woolas: holding answer 9 October 2008
	A visa application will not be held up by a tribunal hearing. Certain categories of visa decisions may be referred to the Asylum and Immigration Tribunal, but only after an initial decision to refuse the visa has been made.

Genetics: Databases

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many samples from  (a) those with no conviction,  (b) those with no conviction but whose DNA was found at the scene of a crime and  (c) others were stored on the national DNA database in each year since the database was created.

Jacqui Smith: The National DNA Database (NDNAD) does not contain any information about criminal records, as this is not necessary for its function of matching DNA from crime scenes with DNA from individuals. Criminal record information is held on the Police National Computer (PNC). Also, before the introduction of the ACPO Criminal Record Retention Guidelines in April 2006, police forces deleted PNC records from some of those convicted of lesser offences after five to 10 years. It is not therefore possible to say either how many of those on the NDNAD did not have a conviction when sampled, or do not currently have a conviction. However, information does exist on the current PNC status of those on the NDNAD.
	Data obtained from the PNC on 31 March 2008 indicates that 3,832,986 (of the 4,116,713) people had a record retained on the PNC. Of these, 3,259,347 had a conviction, caution, formal warning or reprimand recorded on the PNC.
	Information is not collected in respect of the number of those with no conviction whose DNA was found at the scene of a crime. Some research information is, however, available on the number of DNA profiles taken from those arrested but not charged and from those arrested, charged but not convicted of an offence that have resulted in a DNA match, thus providing the police with an intelligence link on the possible identity of the offender and assisting in the detection of crimes. In April 2004, an amendment to the Police and Criminal Evidence Act (PACE) 1984 came into effect, which enabled the police to take and retain DNA and fingerprints from persons who had been arrested for a recordable offence. In the period April 2004 to December 2005, the retention of DNA profiles of arrested persons who had not been charged or proceeded against had resulted in matches with crime scene profiles from over 3,000 offences.
	In May 2001, an amendment to PACE came into effect, which enabled the police to retain DNA samples taken from persons who had been charged but not convicted of an offence. In the period May 2001 to December 2005, an estimated 200,000 DNA samples taken from people charged with offences had been retained on the NDNAD, which would previously have had to be removed because of the absence of a conviction. From these, approximately 8,500 profiles of individuals have been linked with crime scene profiles, involving nearly 14,000 offences.
	Regarding the number of profiles added to the NDNAD since it was created, I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 2 June 2008,  Official Report, column 733W, to the hon. Member for Haltemprice and Howden (David Davis).

Hezbollah

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of co-operation between the political and military wings of Hezbollah in seeking to commit or support acts of terrorism in the UK.

Jacqui Smith: holding answer 15 September 2008
	The military wing of Hezballah was added to the list of proscribed organisations because it is concerned in terrorism, including by its active support for Shia militants in Iraq and the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
	No other part of the organisation is proscribed in the UK. It is our policy not to discuss intelligence matters and I am unable to share further details of our assessments of Hezballah than were outlined during the parliamentary debates on the proscription Order.

Homicide: Prostitution

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prostitutes were murdered in each of the last 10 years.

Alan Campbell: Available data are from the Homicide Index and relate to offences currently recorded as homicides in England and Wales as at 12 November 2007.
	
		
			  Offences currently recorded( 1)  as homicide where victim was a prostitute( 2) : England and Wales, 1997-98 to 2006-07( 3, 4) 
			  Year recorded( 3)  Number of recorded homicides 
			 1997-98 4 
			 1998-99 3 
			 1999-2000 1 
			 2000-01 3 
			 2001-02 4 
			 2002-03 9 
			 2003-04 6 
			 2004-05 4 
			 2005-06 6 
			 2006-07 7 
			 (1). As at 12 November 2007; figures are subject to revision as cases are dealt with by the police and by the courts, or as further information becomes available. (2). Victim occupation recorded as prostitute or sex worker, but victim was not necessarily killed while working. (3). Offences are shown according to the year in which police initially recorded the offence as homicide. This is not necessarily the year in which the incident took place or the year in which any court decision was made. (4). Data for 2007-08 are not yet published.

Human Trafficking

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 9 June 2008,  Official Report, column 75W, on human trafficking: females, what steps are being taken by the  (a) Serious Organised Crime Agency and  (b) United Kingdom Human Trafficking Centre to improve the collection of intelligence of human trafficking.

Jacqui Smith: Operational activity under the organised immigration crime programmes of the UK Serious Organised Crime Control Strategy (developed by SOCA with UK Law Enforcement) includes the collection of information and intelligence on human trafficking, and operations to interdict traffickers and remove those trafficked to safety.
	The National Intelligence Requirement sets out the topics on which information and intelligence is sought. It is available on the SOCA website.
	The UKHTC continues to develop the understanding of the nature and scale of the problem faced by the United Kingdom and is currently undertaking an analysis of the outcomes of Operation Pentameter 2.

Human Trafficking

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 9 June 2008,  Official Report, column 75W, on human trafficking: females, what the evidential basis is which indicates an increase in human trafficking in recent years; and what estimate her Department has made of the level of increase in human trafficking in the last five years.

Jacqui Smith: There is no estimate of a level of increase in human trafficking in recent years as the nature of the crime makes it difficult to provide an accurate assessment of the extent of the problem faced. The best assessment of the threat caused by human trafficking is set out in the UK Threat Assessment previously produced by the National Criminal Intelligence Service and now produced by the Serious Organised Crime Agency.

Identity and Passport Service: Contracts

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when contractual negotiations between the Identity and Passport Service and  (a) International Business Machines Corporation UK,  (b) Electronic Data Systems Corporation UK,  (c) Computer Sciences Corporation UK and  (d) Fujitsu Services Limited to deliver the national identity card scheme are expected to be concluded.

Jacqui Smith: holding answer 10 September 2008
	A number of procurements are being undertaken for capabilities to implement the national identity scheme. Many are being procured using the NIS 'Strategic Supplier Group (SSG)' framework awarded in June 2008 to IBM, EDS, CSC, Fujitsu and Thales. These particular 'SSG' procurements are expected to conclude over the first half of 2009.

Identity and Passport Service: Thales SA

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the  (a) duration,  (b) value and  (c) terms of remuneration are in the contract agreed between Thales SA and the Identity and Passport Service to deliver the National Identity Register.

Jacqui Smith: holding answer 10 September 2008
	The duration of this contract is four years with options to extend by up to four six-month periods. The value of the contract is 18 million.
	Remuneration is linked to delivery at contract milestones (Design, Build and Test) plus monthly charges for running of services once implemented.

Identity and Passport Service: Thales SA

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what terms have been provided for early termination of the contract agreed between Thales SA and the Identity and Passport Service to deliver the National Identity Register.

Jacqui Smith: holding answer 10 September 2008
	Termination provisions include those for ending the contract for poor performance or a decision to terminate early for 'convenience'. In the case of termination for convenience where 12 months notice is given a supplier may recover costs incurred and those associated with terminating the contract. Where less than 12 months notice is given, in addition to costs incurred, anticipated profit lost as a result of the decision to terminate early may be claimed. These provisions are based on Office of Government Commerce best practice guidance for IT contracts.

Immigration Controls

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she plans to implement the Court of Appeal's order to restore the original provisions of the Highly Skilled Migrant (HSMP) visa so that HSMP visa holders are able to apply for indefinite leave to remain visas in the UK after legally being on HSMP visas for four years.

Phil Woolas: holding answer 9 October 2008
	The judgment of 8 April 2008 regarding the case brought by the HSMP Forum relates only to the December 2006 immigration rules change in respect of applications for FLR under the HSMP. The April 2006 immigration rules change in respect of settlement was not under consideration and the judgment consequently has no bearing on the length of time people have to spend in certain immigration categories before they can apply for settlement.

Immigration Officers: Training

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the minimum period of training immigration officers are expected to receive in the identification of forged travel documents is.

Alan Campbell: All operational UK Border Agency staff receive at least nine hours of forgery training on their induction courses and are tested on their knowledge. In addition to these nine hours dedicated specifically to forgery, the induction courses include significant elements on recognising genuine travel and immigration documents and associated endorsements. This is supplemented by local training once the individuals are in post.

Immigration: Deportation

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) complaints and  (b) claims were made against her Department and its agencies and contractors, as a result of alleged injuries and assaults sustained during the enforcement of removals under immigration powers in each of the last five years, broken down by (i) (A) sex, (B) age and (C) nationality of complainant and (ii) location of alleged incident.

Phil Woolas: The information requested is not held in this format and could be obtained by the detailed examination of individual records only at disproportionate cost.

Police: Firearms

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers carried firearms as a regular part of their duties in each of the last 10 years in  (a) England and Wales and  (b) each police force area.

Jacqui Smith: holding answer 15 September 2008
	I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply given to the hon. Member for Bury St. Edmunds (Mr. Ruffley) on 22 July 2008,  Official Report, column 1361W.

Police: Manpower

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the average number of police officers on  (a) duty and  (b) patrol in England and Wales in the last period for which figures are available.

Jacqui Smith: holding answer 12 September 2008
	We do not have all the information required to answer the question directly. This would require estimates for contracted hours and the proportion worked, taking into account annual leave, sick leave etc.
	Time spent on patrol refers only to time when an officer is patrolling but engaged in no other duty. Activity (such as advice to a member of the public) carried out whilst on patrol is recorded separately. The percentage of time spent on patrol needs to considered alongside other activities. We use the front-line policing measure to provide a fuller picture of police activity. The measure assesses time spent by all police officers on core policing duties, such as patrol, responding to 999 calls, as well as activities of CIS and specialist officers. While these officers are not always visible to the public, they are nonetheless carrying out core policing duties.
	In 2006-07 13.6 per cent.(1) of officers' time was spent on patrol and 64.2 per cent.(2) was spent on front-line policing duties. There were 141,892 police officers in 2006-07.
	(1) Includes only police officers on foot/car/beat patrol, CID and traffic.
	(2) Includes all police officers

Police: Stun Guns

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which police forces use the 50,000 volt taser stun gun; and how many times, in each case, the gun has been fired in the last two years for which figures are available.

Vernon Coaker: In 2004, following a trial in five forces, the then Home Secretary agreed that chief officers of all police forces in England and Wales could make Taser available to authorised firearms officers as a less lethal option for use in situations where a firearms authority had been granted in accordance with criteria laid down in the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) Manual of Guidance on Police Use of Firearms.
	The Home Office and the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) announced on 19 July 2007 that authorised police firearms officers in England and Wales would be able to use Taser in a wider set of circumstances. These officers are now able to deploy Taser in operations or incidents where the use of firearms is not authorised, but where they are facing violence or threats of violence of such severity that they would need to use force to protect the public, themselves or the subject.
	It was also announced that the deployment of Taser to specially trained police units not composed of firearms officers, for use when facing similar threats of violence, would be trialled in 10 police forces. The 12-month trial commenced on 1 September 2007. The 10 forces are: Avon and Somerset, Devon and Cornwall, Gwent, Lincolnshire, Merseyside, Metropolitan Police, Northamptonshire, Northumbria, North Wales and West Yorkshire. The trial is currently being evaluated. The 10 forces have been informed that the Government are content for them to continue to use Taser on the same basis as in the trial pending a conclusion on future use.
	The number of incidents of Taser use in England and Wales since its introduction in April 2004, including the number of firings, can be found on the Home Office website at:
	http://police.homeoffice.gov.uk/operational-policing/firearms/taser/

Prisoners: Foreigners

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many foreign nationals serving a sentence in a UK prison refused to provide their personal details, including their country of origin, resulting in their remaining in prison at the end of their sentence in the latest period for which figures are available.

Phil Woolas: The information requested can be obtained through the detailed examination of individual case files only at disproportionate cost. The chief executive of the UK Border Agency has regularly updated the Home Affairs Committee with the most accurate and robust information available. In her most recent letter of 23 July, she advised the Committee that there are a number of reasons for delay in the deportation process such as last minute legal barriers, obstacles obtaining travel documents and non-compliance.

Proceeds of Crime

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what conditions are attached to the use of funds allocated to police forces under the assets recovery incentive scheme.

Jacqui Smith: holding answer 8 October 2008
	There are no formal conditions attached to the use of funds allocated under the asset recovery incentive scheme. Police forces are encouraged to use the funds for further investment in asset recovery and financial investigation, tackling crime and ,where appropriate, on local community initiatives. The Home Office monitors use of incentive monies by police forces and other agencies to ensure propriety. Returns from forces on the use of these funds indicate full compliance with Home Office recommendations.

Security Guards: Licensing

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the statement of 13 November 2007,  Official Report, column 531, on the Security Industry Authority, whether any members of her Department were prosecuted in relation to the employment of foreign persons without leave to work while residing in the United Kingdom.

Jacqui Smith: holding answer 22 July 2008
	 No member of the Home Office has been prosecuted in connection with the employment of illegal migrant workers in the security industry.

Serious and Organised Crime Agency: Finance

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the running costs of  (a) the Assets Recovery Agency and  (b) the Serious and Organised Crime Agency were in each year since their inceptions.

Jacqui Smith: Net expenditure by the Assets Recovery Agency in each year since its inception is as follows:
	
		
			million 
			 2003-04 11.0 
			 2004-05 14.0 
			 2005-06 16.5 
			 2006-07 13.5 
			 2007-08 17.5 
		
	
	Resource funding for the Serious Organised Crime Agency is as follows:
	
		
			million 
			 2006-07 391.6 
			 2007-08 406.7

Serious and Organised Crime Agency: Secondment

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many officers from the Serious and Organised Crime Agency have been seconded to partner agencies overseas in each year since its inception.

Jacqui Smith: The number of SOCA officers working in partner agencies overseas since 2006 is as follows:
	
		
			   Number 
			 2006 38 
			 2007 43 
			 2008 37

Sexual Offences

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many sexual offences were recorded in each crime and disorder reduction partnership in England and Wales in 2007-08.

Jacqui Smith: holding answer 22 July 2008
	The information requested is available on the Home Office website at the following address:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs08/cdrptabs1a.xls

Sexual Offences

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for what reasons figures for recorded sexual offences in each Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership have not been published in the supplementary tables to the Crime in England and Wales 2007-08 publication.

Jacqui Smith: holding answer 22 July 2008
	Home Office statisticians are in the process of applying new methods of statistical disclosure control. The data will be released on the Home Office website as soon as this process is completed.

Surveillance

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many complaints of abuse of intrusive surveillance powers have been made against  (a) local authorities and  (b) central Government-controlled bodies in each of the last three years.

Vernon Coaker: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply given by the then Minister of State for the Home Department, my right hon. Friend the Member for Harrow, East (Mr. McNulty), to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr. Pickles) on 22 July 2008,  Official Report, column 1374W.

Terrorism: Stop and Search

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance her Department has given to the police on the exercise of their power under section 44 of the Terrorism Act 2000 to stop and search those taking photographs in public places.

Jacqui Smith: Guidance on stop and search powers under section 44 Terrorism Act 2000 was issued by the Home Office in Home Office Circular 038/2004 on 1 July 2004 covering the authorisations for the use of the power.
	Operational guidance on the use of section 44 stop and search powers was issued by the National Policing Improvement Agency and the Association of Chief Police Officers in 2006.
	Following a commitment given by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister in October 2007, the operational guidance issued to the police on section 44 is currently being reviewed by the Home Office, the police, community groups and other stakeholders. The National Police Improvement Agency will issue revised guidance to all police forces in November. This will cover the taking of photographs in public places, although the general position is that there is no legal restriction on photography in such places.

DUCHY OF LANCASTER

10 Downing Street: Food

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what steps the Prime Minister's Office is taking to reduce levels of food waste produced in 10 Downing Street.

Kevin Brennan: The Prime Minister's Office forms an integral part of the Cabinet Office. I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the then Minister for the Third Sector to the hon. Member for East Surrey (Mr. Ainsworth) on 5 June 2008,  Official Report, columns 1144-45W.

Departmental Computers

Greg Clark: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what the Cabinet Office's policy is on the disposal of hard disks from redundant personal computers.

Tom Watson: I refer the hon. Member to the Data Handling Report, the publication of which was announced in the statement made by the then Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, the right hon. Member for Doncaster, North (Edward Miliband) on 25 June 2008,  Official Report, columns 25-6WS. The report and the cross government mandatory minimum measures state the core requirements that Departments must adhere to in relation to the secure disposal of both paper and electronic records. A copy of the cross government mandatory minimum measures has been deposited in the Libraries of the House and is available on the following website:
	http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/~/media/assets/www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/csia/dhr/cross_gov080625%20pdf.ashx
	Paragraph 16 of the mandatory minimum measures for Government Departments states that All material that has been used for protected data should be subject to controlled disposal.
	Guidance to Departments on the secure erasure and disposal of different types of magnetic, semi-conductor and optical media is published by CESG, the National Technical Authority for Information Assurance and is available on their website accessible from the Government Secure Intranet.

Government Communications: Higher Civil Servants

Philip Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster when he expects to appoint a new Permanent Secretary for Government Communications.

Tom Watson: The post of Permanent Secretary, Government Communications, was advertised in September 2008 under open competition rules.

Infant Mortality

Adam Holloway: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many notices of death were received by the Registrar General relating to  (a) babies born after 24 weeks gestation and  (b) neonatal deaths for each of the last three years, broken down by (i) registration district and (ii) notifying hospital.

Kevin Brennan: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated October 2008:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your question asking how many notices of death were received by the Registrar General relating to (a) babies born after 24 weeks gestation and (b) neonatal deaths for each of the last three years, broken down by (i) registration district and (ii) notifying hospital. (224451)
	The Registrar General is notified of all babies born after 24 weeks of gestation with no signs of life at birth (known as stillbirths). It is not possible to provide information on all babies born after 24 weeks gestation as gestational age for live births is not collected by the Registrar General. ONS routinely uses local authority of residence rather than registration district to produce birth and death statistics.
	(a)(i) Table 1 shows numbers of stillbirths by local authority of residence of the mother in England and Wales for the aggregated years 2005 to 2007 (the latest year for which data are available). It is not possible to provide numbers of stillbirths for each of these years separately in order to protect the confidentiality of individuals.
	(a)(ii) Numbers of stillbirths by hospital (where the still birth occurred) in England and Wales for each of the years from 2005 to 2007 are shown in table 2.
	(b)(i) Numbers of neonatal deaths by local authority of residence in England and Wales for each of the years from 2005 to 2007 are shown in table 3.
	(b)(ii) Numbers of neonatal deaths by hospital (where the death occurred) in England and Wales for each of the years from 2005 to 2007 are shown in table 4. Copies of these tables have been placed in the library.

SOLICITOR-GENERAL

Prosecutions

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Solicitor-General how many prosecutions were brought in all courts in each of the last 10 years; and what proportion were cases with outcomes of  (a) guilty pleas,  (b) discontinuances,  (c) convictions after trial,  (d) acquittals and  (e) other.

Vera Baird: The following tables show the number of defendants prosecuted by the CPS whose case was completed in either the magistrates courts or in the crown court in each of the last ten years, together with the outcome of those proceedings. The table also shows the number and proportion of defendants whose case resulted either in conviction (which includes both guilty pleas and convictions after trial) or an unsuccessful outcome (which comprises all outcomes other than a conviction).
	These figures represent all cases prosecuted by the 42 Areas of the CPS, but do not include the small volume of more specialised casework handled at CPS headquarters by the casework directorate, figures for which are compiled on a different basis.
	
		
			  Table 1: Magistrates court outcomes 
			   (a) Guilty pleas( 1)  (b) Discontinuances( 2)  (c) Convictions after Trial  (d) Acquittals 
			   Number  Percentage  Number  Percentage  Number  Percentage  Number  Percentage 
			 1998-99 924,761 73.3 186,213 14.8 43,993 3.5 16,744 1.3 
			 1999-2000 942,284 73.6 194,370 15.2 40,163 3.1 16,268 1.3 
			 2000-01 891,406 73.6 193,005 15.9 35,117 2.9 16,005 1.3 
			 2001-02 896,387 73.6 197,799 16.2 33,251 2.7 16,102 1.3 
			 2002-03 938,101 73.9 197,680 15.6 35,834 2.8 16,565 1.3 
			 2003-04 953,282 75.5 175,779 13.9 40,167 3.2 18,294 1.4 
			 2004-05 885,763 76.9 146,268 12.7 42,432 3.7 20,589 1.8 
			 2005-06 843,799 79.1 126,047 11.8 38,038 3.6 20,866 2.0 
			 2006-07 796,922 80.7 107,651 10.9 34,979 3.5 20,091 2.0 
			 2007-08 791,636 81.9 95,513 9.9 36,899 3.8 20,658 2.1 
		
	
	
		
			   (e) Other( 3)  Convictions  Unsuccessful outcomes  Total 
			   Number  Percentage  Number  Percentage  Number  Percentage  Number 
			 1998-99 89,149 7.1 968,754 76.8 292,106 23.2 1,260,860 
			 1999-2000 86,508 6.8 982,447 76.8 297,146 23.2 1,279,593 
			 2000-01 75,114 6.2 926,523 76.5 284,124 23.5 1,210,647 
			 2001-02 73,842 6.1 929,638 76.4 287,743 23.6 1,217,381 
			 2002-03 81,483 6.4 973,935 76.7 295,728 23.3 1,269,663 
			 2003-04 74,303 5.9 993,449 78.7 268,376 21.3 1,261,825 
			 2004-05 56,852 4.9 928,195 80.6 223,709 19.4 1,151,904 
			 2005-06 38,611 3.6 881,837 82.6 185,524 17.4 1,067,361 
			 2006-07 28,338 2.9 831,901 84.2 156,080 15.8 987,981 
			 2007-08 21,920 2.3 828,535 85.7 138,091 14.3 966,626 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Crown Court outcomes 
			   (a) Guilty pleas  (b) Discontinuances( 2)  (c) Convictions after trial  (d) Acquittals 
			   Number  Percentage  Number  Percentage  Number  Percentage  Number  Percentage 
			 1998-99 59,374 66.2 10,369 11.6 10,378 11.6 8,277 9.2 
			 1999-2000 55,407 63.8 11,149 12.8 10,530 12.1 8,319 9.6 
			 2000-01 51,596 62.5 11,537 14.0 9,820 11.9 8,317 10.1 
			 2001-02 51,824 61.5 13,286 15.8 9,925 11.8 7,699 9.1 
			 2002-03 58,624 62.0 14,671 15.5 11,613 12.3 7,872 8.3 
			 2003-04 59,537 62.5 14,358 15.1 11,255 11.8 7,907 8.3 
			 2004-05 58,222 64.1 13,430 14.8 10,059 11.1 7,544 8.3 
			 2005-06 60,252 67.0 12,389 13.8 8,734 9.7 7,090 7.9 
			 2006-07 60,918 68.1 12,102 13.5 8,200 9.2 7,000 7.8 
			 2007-08 69,242 71.4 12,356 12.7 7,705 7.9 6,459 6.7 
		
	
	
		
			   (e) Others( 3)  Convictions  Unsuccessful outcomes  Total 
			   Number  Percentage  Number  Percentage  Number  Percentage  Number 
			 1998-99 1,246 1.4 69,752 77.8 19,892 22.2 89,644 
			 1999-2000 1,426 1.6 65,937 75.9 20,894 24.1 86,831 
			 2000-01 1,329 1.6 61,416 74.4 21,183 25.6 82,599 
			 2001-02 1,590 1.9 61,749 73.2 22,575 26.8 84,324 
			 200203 1,766 1.9 70,237 74.3 24,309 25.7 94,546 
			 2003-04 2,171 2.3 70,792 74.3 24,436 25.7 95,228 
			 2004-05 1,635 1.8 68,281 75.1 22,609 24.9 90,890 
			 2005-06 1,505 1.7 68,986 76.7 20,984 23.3 89,970 
			 2006-07 1,188 1.3 69,118 77.3 20,290 22.7 89,408 
			 2007-08 1,230 1.3 76,947 79.3 20,045 20.7 96,992 
			 (1 )Guilty pleas are shown inclusive of cases proved in the absence of the defendant. (2 )Discontinuances comprise all prosecutions dropped before evidence is heard. (3 )Other outcomes comprise administrative finalisations (where the defendant cannot be traced, or has died, or been found unfit to plead)  discharged committals.

Prosecutions: Driving Offences

Tom Brake: To ask the Solicitor-General how many prosecutions have been brought for offences related to the use of a mobile telephone whilst driving in each London borough in the latest year for which figures are available.

Vera Baird: These cases are investigated by the Metropolitan Police in London and the police apply for the issue of summonses in cases they decide to prosecute through the courts. These are offences that are specified under the Prosecution of Offences Act 1985 and as such they are reviewed and presented at court by the police court presentation officers. In the event of a plea of not guilty, or if the defendant fails to attend and evidence is to be called, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) takes over the conduct of proceedings.
	The CPS is guided by the Code for Crown Prosecutors, which is issued under the Prosecution of Offences Act 1985. The CPS applies the code so that it can make fair and consistent decisions about prosecutions. The reviewing crown prosecutor must be satisfied that there is enough evidence to provide a realistic prospect of a conviction. If the case does not pass that test it will not go ahead. If the case does pass the evidential test the crown prosecutor goes on to consider the second stage test to decide if a prosecution is needed the public interest. The dominant public interest factor that applies in these cases is that of road safety. The crown prosecutor will continue a prosecution when the case has passed both the evidential and the public interest tests.
	Public consultation shows how seriously society views the potential dangers of the use of mobile telephones and other hand-held devices, while driving. The CPS has issued a policy for prosecuting cases of bad driving. In cases where the driver was avoidably dangerously distracted by that use, a charge of dangerous driving is the starting point for charging decisions.
	The CPS prosecuted a total of 502 offences of using a mobile telephone while driving in the year 2007-08. The data for 2008 show that in the year 2008-09 538 offences were prosecuted up until and including September 2008. The borough breakdown for 2007-08 is as follows:
	
		
			   Number 
			 Barnet 8 
			 Bexley 4 
			 Brent 17 
			 Bromley and Orpington 28 
			 BTP 3 
			 Camden 9 
			 City of London 46 
			 City of Westminster 26 
			 Croydon 5 
			 Ealing 11 
			 Enfield 7 
			 Greenwich 10 
			 Hackney 4 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 6 
			 Haringey 10 
			 Harrow 4 
			 Havering 5 
			 Heathrow 1 
			 Hillingdon 3 
			 Hounslow 9 
			 Islington 11 
			 Kingston 9 
			 Lambeth 11 
			 Lewisham 12 
			 Merton 12 
			 Newham 14 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 5 
			 Redbridge 13 
			 Richmond 4 
			 Southwark 9 
			 Sutton 1 
			 Tower Hamlets 8 
			 Waltham Forest 1 
			 Wandsworth 7 
			 Originating borough not recorded 169 
		
	
	These figures only represent the cases that the CPS took over from the police because the defendant either pleaded not guilty or failed to attend court and evidence was to be called. A greater number will have pleaded guilty either in person or by post. Those cases will have been prosecuted by the police. The CPS figures show that prosecutions for this type of offending is increasing.
	CPS London has set up a unit specialising in traffic prosecutions. serves a number of courts across London and one court centre will take cases from a number of boroughs. The unit makes best use of its resources by serving a restricted number of court centres only. It has been a great success in many ways but not least because it manages to bring successful prosecutions in an overwhelming number of cases.

Prosecutions: Shoplifting

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Solicitor-General how many prosecutions were brought for shoplifting by the Crown Prosecution Service in each of the last three years; and if she will make a statement.

Vera Baird: While Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) records include details of proceedings for theft, they provide no discrete count of offences of shoplifting. The Office for Criminal Justice Reform (OCJR) has provided the following table of figures derived from the court proceedings database. The figures show the number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates' courts, and found guilty at all courts, for offences of stealing from shops and stalls (shoplifting) in England and Wales during the years 2004 to 2006, the latest period for which figures are available.
	A range of responses, proportionate to the circumstances of the case, is available for dealing with offences of shoplifting. An offender may be prosecuted, cautioned, or dealt with by way of a fixed penalty notice. The decision to prosecute is taken in accordance with the code for crown prosecutors. Where a case passes the evidential test set out in the code, a number of public interest factors then weigh in favor of a prosecution. these include: evidence that the offence was premeditated; evidence that the offence was carried out by a group; the defendant's previous convictions or cautions; and any grounds for believing that the offence is likely to be repeated.
	Under the Penalty Notice for Disorder scheme a fixed penalty of 80 can be issued for the shoplifting of goods, normally up to the value of 100. The introduction of fixed penalty notices was welcomed by the police as it enabled them to do their job quickly and to return to patrolling the streets, which is what the public wants them to do.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Firefighters

Jeff Ennis: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what progress has been made in increasing diversity through the recruitment of firefighters; and if she will make a statement.

Sadiq Khan: The numbers of women and minority ethnic applicants succeeding in the firefighter selection process has shown steady improvement in recent years. Communities and Local Government is working closely with its service partners to further improve performance through the national Equality and Diversity Strategy, which includes recruitment targets.

Firefighters

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what progress has been made in increasing diversity through recruitment of firefighters.

Sadiq Khan: The number of women and minority ethnic applicants succeeding in the firefighter selection process has shown steady improvement in recent years. Communities and Local Government is working closely with its service partners to further improve performance through the national Equality and Diversity Strategy, which includes recruitment targets.

Green Belt

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what her Department's policy is on building on green belt land when brownfield land is available.

Margaret Beckett: The Government's policy on building on green belt land is set out in Planning Policy Guidance Note 2 (PPG2). PPG2 makes clear that there is a presumption against inappropriate development in the green belt. Such development should not be approved except in very special circumstances.

Infrastructure Planning Commission

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government on what date the Infrastructure Planning Commission will begin to assess planning applications.

John Healey: Subject to parliamentary approval for the Planning Bill, we expect the Infrastructure Planning Commission to begin determining applications in 2010.

New Towns

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what her Department's policy is on the future of new towns.

Iain Wright: Our policy on new towns is set out in Eco-townsliving a greener future: progress report, published on 24 July. Eco-towns will help us deal with the issues of housing shortage, sustainable living and climate change. We have set tough standards, and more details about these will be published shortly in the draft PPS.

Violent Extremism

Mark Fisher: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what progress has been made in engaging young people to make communities more resilient against violent extremism.

Sadiq Khan: We are engaging with young Muslims in many ways. As well as funding a range of projects nationally and locally to help young people become more resilient to violent extremism, last week, we launched the Young Muslims Advisory Group. This group of 22 young Muslims, aged 16 to 25, will advise Government on a variety of issues.

Community Groups

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what progress has been made on her proposals for the transfer of assets to community groups; and what effect the proposals in the Communities in control White Paper will have on this process.

Hazel Blears: Since May 2007 with CLG support at least 20 assets have already been transferred or are due for transfer in the next 12 months; and 30 million from the Cabinet Office in refurbishment grants will facilitate an additional 35 transfers. Following the White Paper an independent England-wide Asset Transfer Unit will launch in January 2009, and the 70 million Communitybuilders Fund will also invest in further asset transfers.

Fire Service (Havering)

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the average response time for the fire service in the London borough of Havering was in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Sadiq Khan: This information is not held centrally. However, the London Fire Brigade have provided the following information:
	The average arrival times for fire engines in the London Borough of Havering for 2007-08 (ending March 2008) is 6 minutes and 35 seconds for the first fire engine and 7 minutes and 5 seconds for the second fire engine
	 Source
	London Fire Brigade

Home Information Packs

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment has been made of the effect of home information packs on the housing market since their introduction.

Iain Wright: Independent research into the impact of home information packs (HIPs) was undertaken by Europe Economics and published on 22 November 2007. The report concluded there was no evidence of any impact on property transactions and prices following the introduction of HIPs. The report also noted a predicted short-term impact of HIPs on new listings, but concluded this would be short lived and the impact on the market would be marginal compared to wider factors. A copy of the report can be found on the Communities and Local Government website at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/housing/housingmarketanalysis
	The Department continues to assess factors affecting the housing market, including the part played by HIPs.

Decent Homes Standard

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps her Department plans to take to assist local authorities to ensure that housing meets the decent homes standard.

Margaret Beckett: Housing policy in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are the responsibilities of the respective Secretaries of State. In England the Government required local authorities owning housing stock to undertake an options appraisal to determine how they would deliver decent homes. Authorities can retain the management and ownership of their housing stock or for authorities who needed extra resources, we provided three delivery options:
	setting up an arm's length management organisation;
	transferring the ownership of the homes to a registered social landlord; and
	entering into a private finance initiative contract.

Local Government Constitution

Graham Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will seek discussions with relevant Cabinet colleagues on the establishment of a constitution providing for independent local government; and if she will make a statement.

John Healey: In the context of the United Kingdom's constitutional arrangements there is recognition of local government, as demonstrated by our ratifying on 24 April 1998, the European Charter of Local Self Government whereby the United Kingdom is committed to the principle of local self government.

Port of Liverpool

Louise Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether she has conducted an economic impact assessment on the decision to levy retrospective business rates on businesses in the port of Liverpool.

John Healey: The regulatory changes that changed the rating of statutory ports from a prescribed formula to a conventional basis did not change the law regarding what properties should or should not be separately assessed, under which the present action is being taken.
	We are looking at the position of ports and the businesses that operate within them, following the end of the use of the prescribed formula.

Eco-towns

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what progress has been made in identifying suitable sites for proposed eco-towns.

Margaret Beckett: In April we announced the shortlist of locations for consultation in Eco-towns - living a greener future. We received a good response to the first stage consultation and we will shortly publish the draft planning policy statement and sustainability appraisal for consultation. These will set out more details about the locations.

Affordable Housing

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans she has to improve the provision of affordable housing in the north-west.

Iain Wright: The Government have recently approved a new regional spatial strategy for the North West. This requires local authorities to undertake strategic housing market assessments in order to assess the need for affordable housing within their area and carry this forward in their local development frameworks.
	The Government have also announced six new growth points within the North West. Local authorities are currently working up programmes of development for these growth points in which we expect the issue of affordability to be addressed.

Affordable Housing

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what progress has been made against the Government's targets for the provision of affordable housing in the last two years; and if she will make a statement.

Margaret Beckett: For the Spending Review 2004, covering 2005-06 to 2007-08, we were set a target to deliver 75,000 social rented homes over the three-year time span. Provisional figures indicate that we have met this target.

Regeneration

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps her Department plans to take to unlock the talent of communities through regeneration.

Hazel Blears: We are enabling people to make the most of their potential and tackle the barriers that communities face through regeneration. Our new regeneration framework reinforces the importance of connecting deprived areas to opportunity and involving residents in decisions about regeneration priorities.
	We are investing over 1.5 billion in the Working Neighbourhoods Fund and over 100 million via the Local Enterprise Growth Initiative. Both are focused on the most deprived areassupporting local innovative approaches to help residents to get into and get on in the labour market; and helping potential entrepreneurs to start up new businesses. Our White Paper Communities in control: real people, real power marks an important step in the transfer of power, changing the culture in public services and the terms of the debate. In particular, it sets out:
	A requirement for councils to respond to all local petitions;
	A new duty to promote democracy to put local authorities at the heart of connecting people with public decisions; and
	A new 70 million community builders fund to support community organisations across England to acquire and run community buildings, provide local services and become more financially self sustainable.

2012 Olympic Games

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent discussions she has had with the Mayor of London on the potential contribution of the legacy of the 2012 Olympic Games to regeneration in London.

Hazel Blears: I have met the London Mayor on two occasions to discuss the potential contribution of legacy from the 2012 Olympic Games to regeneration in London. Firstly, at a bi-lateral meeting on 3 September at my offices. Secondly, at the Olympic Park Regeneration Steering Group (OPRSG) at City Hall on 8 October. The Mayor chairs OPRSG, a group which includes the Leaders and Mayors of the five host boroughs, the Minister for London and the Olympics and the Minister for Housing, and reports to the Olympic Board on legacy issues.

Architects Registration Board

Edward Vaizey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  how many people were employed by the Architects Registration Board in each year since its establishment;
	(2)  what the percentage change in fees for examination by the Architects Registration Board or its committee under section 4(2) for equivalence to a prescribed qualification is between those established for 2008 and those to be charged in 2009;
	(3)  what the annual running costs of the Architects Registration Board were in each year since its establishment in 2007-08 prices;
	(4)  what the expected cost is of the ongoing refurbishment of the headquarters of the Architects Registration Board.

Iain Wright: These are operational matters for the Architects Registration Board. I have asked the registrar and chief executive of the Architects Registration Board to write to the hon. Member directly.
	 Letter from Karen Holmes dated 13 October 2008:
	I am writing in response to your recent questions to the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport. I have listed the answers to each question in turn.
	1. What is the percentage increase in fees for examination by the Architects Registration Board or its Committee under Section 4(2) for equivalence to a prescribed qualifications between those established for 2008 and those to be charged in 2009?
	The percentage increase on the 2008 fee is 14.88%. The Board's policy regarding the examination fee is that it should be self-financing, that is, it should not be subsidised by architects. The fee has been held at the same level since 2007 and is being increased for 2009 solely as a result of increased costs in its operation.
	2. What were the annual running costs of the Architects Registration Board in each year since its establishment in 2007/2008?
	We have calculated the figures you requested using the appropriate year's Retail Price Index, excluding mortgage payments. Please note that the figures for 2008 are not yet available, but will be published in due course. Information about the Board and its work is in its 2007 annual report, and I am pleased to enclose a copy for you. It is also published on our website, www.arb.org.uk.
	
		
			   Actual total expenditure  Total expenditure at 2008 prices 
			 1997 1,063,631 1,413,644 
			 1998 1,275,754 1,652,284 
			 1999 1,381,077 1,748,412 
			 2000 1,919,389 2,380,638 
			 2001 1,846,946 2,242,643 
			 2002 2,091,080 2,483,979 
			 2003 2,101,532 2,428,437 
			 2004 2,402,757 2,716,160 
			 2005 2,421,404 2,676,153 
			 2006 2,448,498 2,629,260 
			 2007 2,582,066 2,686,630 
		
	
	3. What is the expected cost of the ongoing refurbishment of the headquarters of the Architects Registration Board?
	The Board recently agreed a budget allocation for 2009 of 350,000, excluding professional fees, to refurbish its offices. The Board's landlords commenced negotiations with the Board in 2004 as they wished to extend their Weymouth Street premises. The Board used this opportunity to negotiate a more flexible and modern lease, as the previous lease was particularly onerous in terms of length.
	A significant advantage of the additional space secured as part of the negotiations will be for the Board to hold its public Board meetings in-house rather than having to use external premises. The Board has also welcomed the opportunity to deliver compliance with regard to its responsibilities under the Disability Discrimination Act 1995. Part of the refurbishment plan will be both to install a disabled lift access to the main reception area and compliant toilet facilities, along with additional assistance for people with hearing impairments. Although an overall budget allocation of 350,000 has been made, the project is at an early stage with the final specification and tender document yet to be agreed. The Board is very conscious of its obligations to be prudent and economical and will ensure that the project not only delivers the Board's objectives, but also offers value for money.
	4. How many people have been employed by the Architects Registration Board in each year since its establishment?
	The details are as follows.
	
		
			   Staff employed 
			 1997 16 
			 1998 16 
			 1999 17 
			 2000 17 
			 2001 17 
			 2002 17 
			 2003 18 
			 2004 18 
			 2005 18 
			 2006 18 
			 2007 19 
			 2008 19 
		
	
	The increase to the Board's staff resources has been necessary for the Board to continue to deliver its statutory functions. More information about the Board's increased workload is in the 2007 annual report.
	I hope the information I have set out in this letter has been of assistance, and has helped to address any concerns you may have had. I do know that both the Board's Chairman, Michael Starling, and Registrar, Alison Carr, would be very pleased to meet you to discuss the Board and its work in more detail. Please let me know if you would like to accept this offer to meet, so that we can arrange a date that is convenient for you.
	I look forward to hearing from you.

Community Infrastructure Levy

Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what types of development she has considered exempting from the requirement to pay the proposed community infrastructure levy;
	(2)  when she plans to publish the categories of development to be exempt from paying the community infrastructure levy;
	(3)  whether she will make it her policy that developments that promote sport or physical activity be exempt from paying the community infrastructure levy.

Iain Wright: As my right hon. Friend the Minister for Local Government stated when the Planning Bill was in Commons Committee, our principal starting point is that almost all developments will have some imposition and impact on the need for infrastructure, and some call on local services or amenities. In addition, exemptions to, or reductions from, CIL may cause complexity and distortion and reduce fairness. Therefore, the Government envisage that most types of development will be liable to pay CIL.
	The Government will however consider the case for exemptions when consulting on the regulations to implement CIL, and will set out the exemptions available in the final regulations. Any exemptions we create must be legally robust and based on coherent criteria, such as those set out at page 60 of the CIL policy document published in August.
	Our document is available at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/planningandbuilding/pdf/communityinfrastructurelevy.pdf

Community Infrastructure Levy

Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether developments in receipt of funding from the community infrastructure levy will be exempt from paying the levy charge.

Iain Wright: The Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) clauses in the Planning Bill, now in the other place, stipulate that CIL funding may be applied only to infrastructure that supports the development of an area. Infrastructure in itself has other impacts on infrastructure. For instance, a power station might place new burdens on the local road network. Therefore, the Government do not consider it right to provide an automatic exemption from paying CIL for developments that have been in receipt of CIL funding.
	This is not to say that there will be no exemptions from CIL. The Government will consider the case for exemptions when consulting on regulations, and as we made clear in the CIL policy document published on 5 August, any exemptions from CIL will be decided on the basis of the criteria set out at page 60 of our publication, available at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/planningandbuilding/pdf/communityinfrastructurelevy.pdf

Council Housing: Immigrants

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what estimate she has made of the number of  (a) non-UK EU national-headed households and  (b) A8 national-headed households in social housing in (i) the most recent period for which figures are available and (ii) each year since such figures became available; and what proportion this represented of housing stock in each year;
	(2)  what estimate she has made of the number of foreign national-headed households in social housing in  (a) the most recent period for which figures are available and  (b) each year since such figures became available; and what proportion this represented of housing stock in each year;
	(3)  how many foreign nationals obtained a tenancy without holding an existing social housing tenancy in the most recent year for which figures are available;
	(4)  how many new  (a) local authority social lettings and  (b) registered social landlord lettings were made to foreign nationals from (i) EU member states and (ii) non-EU states in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Iain Wright: The latest results from the Survey of English Housing, based on the period 2005-06 to 2006-07, are that there were an estimated 310,000 social tenants in England who were foreign nationals8 per cent. of all social tenants. This question on nationality was introduced for the first time in 2005-06.
	The Survey of English Housing doesn't identify the nationalities of householders to a level that can identify non-UK EU nationals or A8 nationals. However, results from the new English Housing Survey that started in April 2008 (replacing the Survey of English Housing) will capture more detailed information about the nationality of householders.
	Information on the number of foreign national households allocated social housing is collected in the Continuous Recording of Letting form (CORE). For this information, I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him on 16 May 2008,  Official Report, column 1798W.

Council Housing: Sales

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many local authority-owned homes were sold on the private market in each of the last 10 years, broken down by size of dwelling.

Iain Wright: This information is not collected centrally.

Council Tax

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when she expects to make a decision on whether to introduce legislation to allow council tax payments to be taken from bank accounts.

John Healey: It is already legal for billing authorities to deduct council tax payments from bank accounts by direct debit with the consent of the account holder.

County Councils: Marketing

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will make it her policy to collect statistics on how much each  (a) county council and  (b) borough council spends on communication and marketing.

John Healey: This information is not collected centrally and we have no plans to do so.

Departmental Marketing

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment she has made of the cost effectiveness of Government-commissioned advertising in the last 12 months relating to matters falling within the remit of her Department.

Sadiq Khan: My Department's advertising campaigns are routinely assessed for cost effectiveness and the results for the financial year 2007-08 were published in the Department's annual report. The Department's recruitment advertising is assessed by the quality, appropriateness and number of applicants applying for publicly advertised posts.

Derelict Land

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans English Partnerships has to develop former coalfield sites in the next two years.

Iain Wright: English Partnerships is responsible for the management of the national coalfields programme (NCP) working with the regional development agencies and local authority partners. The NCP aims to remediate and bring back into use 107 former coalfield sites.
	The NCP is a key contributor to English Partnerships' overall output targets and its ambition to deliver lasting outcomes and improvements in the former coalfield communities. The programme therefore remains a priority for English Partnerships with the momentum and integrity of the programme continuing as English Partnerships moves into the new Homes and Communities Agency from 1 December.
	The National Coalfields Programme is ringfenced, with capital receipts being recycled into future projects. The level of activity over the next two years will therefore be influenced to some extent by the level of receipts returning to the programme and market conditions are currently challenging. Even so, the programme remains on track to substantially complete all significant investments in strategically important sites delivering housing, employment and clear community benefits by 2012, with a longer timescale for sites with potential for public open space. Up to 432 million of investment is forecast to be delivered during the remaining lifetime of the programme.

Empty Property

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate she has made of the number of empty homes in each region, broken down by  (a) size and  (b) type of dwelling.

Iain Wright: Information on empty dwellings by size and type of dwelling is not held centrally. The following table shows the number of long term empty dwellings and total empty dwellings in each region as at October 2007.
	
		
			  Region  Number of long term empty dwellings (empty for more than six months)  Total number of empty dwellings 
			 North East 21,583 48,066 
			 North West 73,047 141,060 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 40,084 101,035 
			 East Midlands 27,306 69,805 
			 West Midlands 34,833 80,359 
			 East 24,704 69,072 
			 London 36,534 84,596 
			 South East 34,226 101,761 
			 South West 21,732 66,881 
			 England 314,049 762,635 
			  Source: Council Taxbase and Council Taxbase Supplementary (CTBl and CTBIS) returns from local authorities 
		
	
	Those dwellings vacant for less than six months are more likely to be empty for a short period following a sale and are seen as 'transactional' vacant dwellings and are thus a characteristic of the housing market.

Empty Property: Non-domestic Rates

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment has been made of the effects of changes in empty property business rates on the property market.

John Healey: We published an impact assessment of the empty property reforms in May 2007 alongside the primary legislation. On 26 February this year, I laid a further assessment before the House, alongside the regulations.

Housing: Construction

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what progress has been made against the Government's target to build three million homes by 2020; and what proportion of those three million homes she expects to be built in the next two years.

Iain Wright: In 2006-07 199,200 additional homes were delivered.
	The Government do not publish forecasts for private house building. Housing starts in 2007-08 were 10 per cent. lower than in 2006-07 and this is likely to be reflected in lower levels of housing completions during 2008-09.

Housing: Low Incomes

Geoffrey Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment she has made of the likely effects of current trends in the housing market on the delivery of Government targets on affordable housing.

Iain Wright: We remain committed to the long-term delivery of affordable housing. It remains too early, given current market conditions to predict outputs in the short terms.
	We recently announced on 2 September 2008, our market rescue package to increase confidence, stability and fairness in the housing market, building on previous announcements in May and July. As part of this package we will be supporting up to 6,000 of the most vulnerable homeowners facing repossession to remain in their home; offering up to 10,000 first-time buyers currently frozen out of the mortgage market a chance to get onto the property ladder through new shared equity schemes; and bringing forward 400 million to deliver up to 5,500 new social homes over the next 18 months.

Housing: Low Incomes

Geoffrey Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans she has to increase the provision of affordable housing in rural areas.

Iain Wright: The Housing Corporation has been set a national target to provide 10,300 affordable homes in smaller rural communities from 2008-09 to 2010-11. Grant will be allocated to those schemes which meet the needs of local people, the regional strategy and demonstrate strong value for money from the 8.4 billion National Affordable Housing Programme.
	The Prime Minister commissioned a report from the hon. Member for Truro and St. Austell (Matthew Taylor) who has been looking at how land use and planning can better support rural business and deliver affordable housing in rural communities. His report, published in July, provides a comprehensive review of the issues that our rural communities face, and provides a number of practical recommendations. We are looking at the report in detail and will publish a full response later this year.

Housing: Low Incomes

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what her most recent estimate is of  (a) the cost of providing a social rented unit and  (b) the average public subsidy in the form of grant for such a unit in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Iain Wright: Through the Housing Corporation's Affordable Housing Programme for 2007-08 the average total scheme cost was 150,200 for a social rented unit which includes the cost of purchasing land, building materials etc. The average public subsidy was 65,500 for social rented units of which 59,700 was social housing grant.

Housing: Overcrowding

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate she has made of the number of households living in overcrowded conditions in each region in each of the last 10 years.

Iain Wright: The following table contains estimates of the numbers of overcrowded households in each region from 1997-98 to 2006-07. Levels of overcrowding are measured through the Survey of English Housing and assessed against the bedroom standard. Due to small sample sizes, a three year moving average is used.
	
		
			  Overcrowded households by region, 1997-98 to 2006-07, three year moving average 
			  Thousands of households 
			  Government office region  1997-98  1998-99  1999-2000  2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07 
			 North East 21 19 20 19 18 18 19 21 19 19 
			 North West 74 72 65 63 62 60 53 55 58 64 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 46 48 46 40 41 39 39 35 30 37 
			 North 141 139 131 123 121 117 110 111 107 120 
			
			 East Midlands 32 26 26 30 30 31 27 30 27 29 
			 West Midlands 51 55 54 52 51 52 52 57 58 61 
			 Midlands 83 81 80 82 81 83 79 87 85 90 
			
			 London 156 159 161 166 171 178 181 194 203 203 
			
			 East 33 35 37 38 38 35 32 31 36 42 
			 South East 58 54 54 56 59 58 56 57 61 66 
			 South West 25 30 33 38 33 31 28 31 33 33 
			 Rest of South 116 119 125 132 131 124 117 119 131 141 
			
			 England 495 498 497 503 503 502 487 511 526 554 
			  Note:  A three year moving average is used due to small sample sizes. For example, the figure shown for '1997-98' is the average over the three survey years '1995-96', '1996-97' and '1997-98'.  Source: Survey of English Housing

Housing: Owner Occupation

Stephen Hesford: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the average rate of home ownership is in England; what the rate is among those from ethnic minority groups; and if she will make a statement.

Iain Wright: It is estimated that 70 per cent. of households in England in 2007 were owner occupiers. Among ethnic minority groups, 50 per cent. of households were owner occupiers. These estimates are based on ONS Labour Force Survey data.

Housing: Repairs and Maintenance

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what funding is to be provided to home improvement agencies under the Supporting People budget in the next 12 months.

Iain Wright: We are not able to say how much Supporting People funding will be provided to Home Improvement Agencies under the Supporting People budget in the next 12 months. The Supporting People programme is delivered at a local level and decisions on how much money is spent on services, including Home Improvement Agencies, are made by the top tier local authorities, based on local priorities and need. The 2008-09 allocations for Supporting People amount to 1.686 billion. We do know that, together, the top tier authorities spent 12,768,942 on Home Improvement Agencies in 2005-06, increasing to 15,413,865 in 2006-07 (2007-08 data is not yet available).

Housing: Standards

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if her Department will consider the merits of re-introducing Parker-Morris standards for new housing.

Iain Wright: The Government's delivery bodies, the Housing Corporation (HC) and English Partnerships (EP) are already engaged in this issue. They have taken a lead in setting benchmarks for high quality urban design, construction and environmental sustainability. It is important that they understand the issues around residential living space, to help build on existing good practice and explore innovative ideas. The Homes and Communities Agency will consider how to take this forward.
	'Parker Morris' standards were appropriate for the housing needs of the time. A partnership of industry bodies have been working together to examine the issue. Currently these partners, including the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE), EP, HC and the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIB A) are sharing information and undertaking research to understand if there is a legitimate issue concerning size of new build open market units. It is important that an evidence base is established before conclusions can be drawn on whether there is a problem and whether this is a matter for public policy intervention.

Local Authorities: Housing

Chris Mullin: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which local authorities have been permitted to introduce selective licensing schemes under the Housing Act 2004; how many applications have yet to be approved; how many have been refused; and if she will make a statement.

Iain Wright: The following local authorities have been granted approval to operate selective licensing schemes under the Housing Act 2004.
	Salford city council;
	Middlesbrough borough council;
	Manchester city council;
	Gateshead borough council;
	Sedgefield borough council;
	Burnley borough council; and
	Bolton borough council.
	The Department is currently considering applications from Blackburn with Darwen borough council, Leeds city council,. Easington district council and Hartlepool borough council. We invite local authorities to work with CLG officials in the development of their proposals so that the applications when submitted are consistent with published criteria. This has meant that the Secretary of State has not refused any applications.

Local Government Finance

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps her Department is taking to assist local authorities with deposits in Landsbanki.

John Healey: I refer the hon. Member to the written ministerial statement 'Impact on local authority finances of Icelandic bank failures' made by the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government today.

Local Government Finance

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what assistance her Department is giving to those local authorities that have deposited funds with Icelandic banks;
	(2)  what role her Department is playing in providing help and support to those local authorities that have invested in Icelandic banks.

John Healey: I refer my hon. Friend to the written ministerial statement 'Impact on local authority finances of Icelandic bank failures' made by the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government today.

Local Government Finance

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which local authorities have invested in Icelandic banks.

John Healey: The LGA is now completing its urgent analysis of the situation for individual local authorities that may have had investments in Icelandic banks. I will be meeting with the LGA again this week to discuss the issues arising on a case by case basis.
	I also refer the hon. Member to the written statement, 'Impact on local authority finances of Icelandic bank failures', made by the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government today.

Local Government Finance: Bassetlaw

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment she has made of the Bassetlaw Council's expenditure of local government business growth initiative money on job evaluation.

John Healey: The grant that has been paid to authorities under the Local Authority Business Growth Incentives scheme is non-ringfencedwhich means it is for local authorities themselves to decide how that money is spent.

Local Government: Bassetlaw

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what options are available to Bassetlaw residents seeking the introduction of a unitary local government authority in their area; and if she will make a statement.

John Healey: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Stroud (Mr. Drew) on 13 March 2008,  Official Report, column 583W.

Mortgages: North Lanarkshire

Tom Clarke: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many mortgage applications relating to the purchase of property in Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill constituency were approved in each of the last 24 months.

Ian Pearson: I have been asked to reply.
	The Government do not hold these figures. The Bank of England publishes national data on mortgage approvals, which are available at:
	http://www.bankofengland.co.uk/statistics/statistics.htm.

Regional Planning and Development: South East

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether responses to the South East Plan consultation sent to her Department, rather than the Government Office for the South East, will be considered as part of the South East Plan consultation process.

Sadiq Khan: All consultation responses should be sent to the Government office for the south-east (GOSE) by 24 October. Any responses received by the Department for Communities and Local Government will be passed on to GOSE.

Regional Planning and Development: South East

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many responses to the South East Plan consultation have been received by  (a) the Government Office for the South East and  (b) her Department.

Sadiq Khan: All consultation responses should be sent to the Government office for the south-east (GOSE) by 24 October. Any responses received by the Department for Communities and Local Government will be passed on to GOSE.
	As the consultation period is still running it is not possible to give a precise answer to this question, as comments are still being logged. However, GOSE estimate that around 2,000 responses had been received by 13 October.

Social Rented Housing: Sales

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many right to buy sales of council and social housing there were in each month of the last two years; and what revenue was generated in each month.

Iain Wright: The following table sets out sales of local authority and registered social landlord (RSL) properties under the right to buy and preserved right to buy schemes between April 2006 and March 2008, and the receipts arising from those sales in the same period. These figures are presented by quarter for local authorities, and annually for RSLs, rather than monthly, as this is the basis on which Communities and Local Government collects this information. Figures are based on returns made to the Department by local authorities and to the Housing Corporation from RSLs.
	
		
			  Quarter  Number of RTB sales of dwellings by local authorities  Total receipts arising from LA RTB sales (m)  Number of RTB and preserved RTB sales of dwellings by registered social landlords  Total receipts arising from RSL RTB and preserved RTB sales (m) . 
			 April to June 2006 4,480 287.1 (1)4,840 (2)259.6 
			 July to September 2006 4,280 277.9 (1) (2) 
			 October to December 2006 4,810 314.2 (1) (2) 
			 January to March 2007 3,330 266.2 (1) (2) 
			 April to June 2007 3,520 265.9 (3)3,150 (4)197.3 
			 July to September 2007 3,360 267.6 (3) (4) 
			 October to December 2007 3,050 237.8 (3) (4) 
			 January to March 2008 2,030 162.7 (3) (4) 
		
	
	Figures for local authority (LA) sales and sales receipts are from PIB quarterly returns from local authorities to CLG.
	Figures for registered social landlord (RSL) sales are from RSR (regulatory and statistical return) annual returns from RSLs to the Housing Corporation. Figures for sales receipts are from CORE (continuous recording) returns from RSLs to the Housing Corporation.

Written Questions: Government Responses

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when she plans to reply to Question 167261, on insurance of flood-damaged property, tabled on 19 November 2007.

Sadiq Khan: The hon. Member's question was transferred to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and answered by my hon. Friend the then Environment Minister, the hon. Member for Oldham, East and Saddleworth (Mr. Woolas) on 27 November 2007,  Official Report, column 316W.

CHILDREN, SCHOOLS AND FAMILIES

Academies

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families which academies use their powers to select up to 10 per cent. of their intake by aptitude; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: Of the 130 open academies there are 21 who can select up to 10 per cent. of their intake by aptitude. They are as follows:
	The Business Academy, Bexley
	The City Academy, Bristol
	Capital City Academy, Brent
	The Academy at Peckham, Southwark
	City of London Academy, Southwark
	Djanogly City Academy, Nottingham
	Dixons City Academy, Bradford
	Macmillan Academy, Middlesbrough
	Haberdashers' Aske's Hatcham Academy, Lewisham
	Haberdashers' Knights Academy, Lewisham
	Harefield Academy, Hillingdon
	The John Madejski Academy, Reading
	Ashcroft Technology Academy, Wandsworth
	William Hulme's Grammar School, Manchester
	The Belvedere Academy, Liverpool
	Harris City Academy, Crystal Palace, Croydon
	John Cabot Academy, South Gloucestershire
	Wren Academy, Barnet
	The Priory LSST Academy, Lincoln
	Colston's Girls' School, Bristol
	Bristol Choir Academy, Bristol

Alderman Blaxill School Colchester

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the names are of  (a) representatives of his Department,  (b) representatives of Essex county council and  (c) others who accompanied the then Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Schools and Learners) on his recent visit to the Alderman Blaxill School in Colchester.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: When my predecessor, Lord Adonis, visited Alderman Blaxill School in Colchester in September 2008 he was accompanied by Peter Clough, a departmental official.
	The Essex county council representatives who were present were Lord Hanningfield, Leader of the Council and Portfolio Holder for Schools; Brandon Hallam, Chief Executive of the Policy and International Unit; Terry Reynolds: Director for Learning; and Rosemary Prince, Secondary Area Improvement Manager.
	A member of Lord Adonis' private office was also present during the visit.

Antisocial Behaviour

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  how the taper for the funding of family intervention projects between 2008 and 2011 will operate; and if he will place a copy of the evaluations of the projects in the Library;
	(2)  when he plans to answer Question 194268, on family intervention projects, tabled on 11th March 2008.

Beverley Hughes: According to our records a response was sent to the hon. Member on 27 March.
	The Secretary of State announced on 5 October 2007 that the Department for Children, Schools and Families would provide up to 18 million ongoing funding for the Family Intervention Projects. The projects will receive tapered funding over 2008 to 2011 to help them move towards securing mainstream funding. In each of these three years projects will receive 70 per cent. of their previous years funding allocation. The final report from the Family Intervention Project evaluation was published in July 2008 and has been placed in the Libraries.

Building Schools for the Future

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many schools among the 500 lowest performing primary schools have received funding under the Building Schools for the Future programme in the last five years.

Jim Knight: Building Schools for the Future is aimed at secondary schools. It follows that no primary schools have received funding from this programme in the last five years. However we are taking a similarly transformational approach to capital investment for the primary sector through the Primary Capital Programme. Funding for the pathfinder phase commenced in April this year and will be rolled out to all local authorities from 2009-10. Subject to future Government spending decisions, the programme commits to renewing at least half of all primary school building by 2022-23, creating primary schools that are equipped for 21st century learning, at the heart of their communities, with children's services in reach of every family. The programme is supported by 1.9 billion of new capital investment over the three-year period 2008-09 to 2010-11. To access that funding local authorities must develop and agree with the Department a Primary Strategy for Change.

Canvey Island Secondary School: Playing Fields

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families if he will hold discussions with Essex county council on the proposed selling of playing fields at Canvey Island secondary school; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: There are three secondary schools on Canvey IslandThe Cornelius Vermuyden school and Arts college, Furtherwick Park school, and Castle View school. Essex county council has advised the Department that they are unaware of any proposals to dispose of school playing fields.

Children: Assessments

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many and what percentage of children in care were working towards  (a) level 1,  (b) level 2,  (c) level 3 and  (d) level 4 in key stage 1 tests in (i) writing, (ii) reading, (iii) literacy, (iv) speaking and listening and (v) science in each of the last five years.

Beverley Hughes: The number and percentage of looked after children achieving at least level 2 in reading, writing and mathematics in the Key Stage 1 tests for 2005, 2006 and 2007 can be found in table B of the Outcome Indicators for Children Looked After, Twelve months to 30 September 2007England Statistical First Release accessible via the link:
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000785/index.shtml.
	The number and percentage of looked after children achieving at least level 2 in reading, writing and mathematics in the Key Stage 1 tests for 2003 and 2004 can be found in table B of the Outcome Indicators for Looked-after Children, Twelve months to 30 September 2005England Statistical First Release accessible via the link:
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000651/index.shtml.
	Due to a revised assessment procedure figures prior to 2005 are not directly comparable with later years.
	Through Care Matters and measures contained in the Children and Young Persons Bill, the Government are taking steps to improve the educational achievement of looked after children. These include putting the Designated Teacher role on a statutory footing and piloting the role of the Virtual School Head in championing the educational outcomes of looked after children.

Children: Assessments

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families for what reasons a pupil may be working at the level of assessment for but unable to take key stage 2 tests.

Jim Knight: The national curriculum tests have been designed to ensure that the vast majority of pupils working at the level of the tests can access them. However there may be a small number of pupils who require additional arrangements to access the tests. Arrangements can be made to adjust test conditions to enable fair and equal access to the tests for these pupils.
	There are many reasons why a pupil may require access arrangements. Access arrangements would be appropriate for pupils whose learning difficulty or disability significantly affects their ability to access the tests; pupils who are unable to sit and work at a test for a sustained period because of a disability or because of behavioural, emotional or social difficulties; and pupils for whom English is an additional language and who have limited fluency in English.

Children: Assessments

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  what average number of GCSEs was taken by pupils in maintained schools in each of the last five years, broken down by local authority area;
	(2)  how many GCSEs were taken on average by children eligible for free school meals in maintained schools in each of the last five years, broken down by local authority.

Jim Knight: The information requested is given in the following table for 2006-07, the other years can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			   Non-FSM  FSM  All pupils 
			 Camden 8.9 8.5 8.7 
			 Greenwich 9.0 8.1 8.8 
			 Hackney 8.8 8.1 8.5 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 9.5 9.5 9.5 
			 Islington 8.5 8.6 8.5 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 9.0 8.8 8.9 
			 Lambeth 9.3 8.2 8.9 
			 Lewisham 9.5 8.8 9.3 
			 Southwark 9.0 8.4 8.7 
			 Tower Hamlets 10.2 10.0 10.1 
			 Wandsworth 9.2 8.3 8.9 
			 Westminster 8.7 8.2 8.6 
			 Barking and Dagenham 10.0 9.3 9.8 
			 Barnet 9.4 8.5 9.2 
			 Bexley 9.7 8.5 9.6 
			 Brent 9.5 8.7 9.3 
			 Bromley 9.5 8.3 9.4 
			 Croydon 9.3 8.2 9.1 
			 Ealing 9.6 8.7 9.4 
			 Enfield 9.0 8.1 8.9 
			 Haringey 8.6 7.5 8.2 
			 Harrow 9.7 8.7 9.5 
			 Havering 9.8 8.1 9.6 
			 Hillingdon 9.1 7.3 8.7 
			 Hounslow 9.3 8.6 9.2 
			 Kingston upon Thames 9.2 8.4 9.1 
			 Merton 8.6 7.4 8.4 
			 Newham 9.4 9.0 9.2 
			 Redbridge 10.1 9.5 10.0 
			 Richmond upon Thames 9.1 7.8 8.9 
			 Sutton 9.5 7.7 9.4 
			 Waltham Forest 9.6 9.1 9.5 
			 Birmingham 9.5 8.5 9.2 
			 Coventry 9.0 6.8 8.7 
			 Dudley 9.2 7.6 9.0 
			 Sandwell 9.1 8.3 9.0 
			 Solihull 9.7 8.5 9.6 
			 Walsall 9.0 6.9 8.6 
			 Wolverhampton 9.7 8.8 9.5 
			 Knowsley 8.5 6.8 7.9 
			 Liverpool 9.3 7.7 8.8 
			 St. Helens 9.9 7.7 9.5 
			 Sefton 9.4 8.0 9.2 
			 Wirral 9.4 7.8 9.0 
			 Bolton 8.9 7.5 8.6 
			 Bury 8.9 8.1 8.8 
			 Manchester 8.9 7.4 8.3 
			 Oldham 8.9 7.5 8.6 
			 Rochdale 9.5 8.0 9.2 
			 Salford 9.1 7.7 8.8 
			 Stockport 8.7 6.9 8.5 
			 Tameside 8.8 7.3 8.6 
			 Trafford 9.6 8.3 9.5 
			 Wigan 9.1 7.5 8.9 
			 Barnsley 8.5 6.7 8.2 
			 Doncaster 9.5 7.7 9.2 
			 Rotherham 8.8 6.8 8.5 
			 Sheffield 8.7 6.7 8.4 
			 Bradford 8.6 7.3 8.3 
			 Calderdale 9.2 7.2 9.0 
			 Kirklees 8.9 7.3 8.7 
			 Leeds 8.7 6.6 8.3 
			 Wakefield 9.5 7.7 9.3 
			 Gateshead 9.8 8.0 9.5 
			 Newcastle upon Tyne 8.8 7.2 8.5 
			 North Tyneside 9.5 8.0 9.3 
			 South Tyneside 9.6 7.8 9.2 
			 Sunderland 9.4 8.0 9.3 
			 Isles of Scilly 10.4 - 10.4 
			 Bath and North East Somerset 9.5 7.3 9.3 
			 Bristol, City of 8.3 7.1 8.1 
			 North Somerset 9.0 7.5 8.9 
			 South Gloucestershire 9.3 7.3 9.2 
			 Hartlepool 9.3 7.6 9.0 
			 Middlesbrough 9.0 7.1 8.4 
			 Redcar and Cleveland 9.2 7.5 8.9 
			 Stockton-on-Tees 9.9 7.4 9.5 
			 Kingston Upon Hull, City of 8.8 7.3 8.6 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire 9.4 7.5 9.2 
			 North East Lincolnshire 8.8 7.3 8.6 
			 North Lincolnshire 9.2 7.3 9.0 
			 North Yorkshire 9.0 7.0 8.9 
			 York 9.3 8.2 9.2 
			 Bedfordshire 8.9 7.1 8.7 
			 Luton 9.1 8.2 8.9 
			 Buckinghamshire 9.8 8.6 9.8 
			 Milton Keynes 9.5 7.1 9.3 
			 Derbyshire 9.0 7.7 8.9 
			 Derby 9.1 8.1 9.0 
			 Dorset 9.5 7.9 9.4 
			 Poole 9.5 6.9 9.3 
			 Bournemouth 9.0 6.7 8.8 
			 Durham 9.5 7.3 9.1 
			 Darlington 8.8 6.5 8.5 
			 East Sussex 8.9 7.3 8.7 
			 Brighton and Hove 9.8 7.1 9.4 
			 Hampshire 9.3 7.3 9.2 
			 Portsmouth 9.8 9.2 9.7 
			 Southampton 8.7 7.3 8.6 
			 Leicestershire 9.3 7.7 9.2 
			 Leicester 8.7 7.7 8.5 
			 Rutland 8.8 7.5 8.8 
			 Staffordshire 9.2 7.9 9.1 
			 Stoke-on-Trent 8.7 7.5 8.5 
			 Wiltshire 9.1 7.2 9.0 
			 Swindon 8.8 7.1 8.6 
			 Bracknell Forest 9.2 8.0 9.1 
			 Windsor and Maidenhead 9.3 6.8 9.2 
			 West Berkshire 9.4 7.6 9.3 
			 Reading 8.0 5.5 7.7 
			 Slough 9.6 8.6 9.4 
			 Wokingham 9.3 7.6 9.2 
			 Cambridgeshire 9.2 7.6 9.1 
			 Peterborough 9.3 8.2 9.1 
			 Cheshire 9.0 7.4 8.9 
			 Halton 9.6 8.0 9.3 
			 Warrington 9.1 7.5 9.0 
			 Devon 9.1 7.7 9.0 
			 Plymouth 8.5 7.0 8.3 
			 Torbay 9.0 7.2 8.8 
			 Essex 9.4 7.8 9.3 
			 Southend-on-Sea 9.9 7.7 9.7 
			 Thurrock 9.4 7.4 9.1 
			 Herefordshire 8.9 6.7 8.8 
			 Worcestershire 9.2 6.9 9.1 
			 Kent 9.4 7.6 9.3 
			 Medway 9.2 7.8 9.1 
			 Lancashire 9.2 7.8 9.0 
			 Blackburn with Darwen 9.4 8.3 9.1 
			 Blackpool 7.8 6.7 7.6 
			 Nottinghamshire 9.0 7.0 8.8 
			 Nottingham 8.7 6.8 8.2 
			 Shropshire 9.4 8.1 9.3 
			 Telford and Wrekin 9.9 8.4 9.6 
			 Cornwall 9.2 7.9 9.1 
			 Cumbria 9.0 6.8 8.8 
			 Gloucestershire 9.3 7.1 9.1 
			 Hertfordshire 9.4 8.2 9.3 
			 Isle of Wight 9.1 8.3 9.0 
			 Lincolnshire 9.3 7.0 9.2 
			 Norfolk 9.0 7.1 8.8 
			 Northamptonshire 9.2 7.2 9.1 
			 Northumberland 9.2 7.7 9.1 
			 Oxfordshire 9.3 7.5 9.1 
			 Somerset 9.5 7.6 9.3 
			 Suffolk 9.2 7.8 9.1 
			 Surrey 9.5 7.9 9.4 
			 Warwickshire 9.4 7.7 9.3 
			 West Sussex 9.2 7.0 9.1 
			 England Average (maintained sector) 9.2 7.8 9.0 
		
	
	Figures relate to pupils at the end of Key Stage 4 in all maintained schools.

Children: Databases

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families members of which professions will have access to the ContactPoint database.

Beverley Hughes: The purpose of ContactPoint is to support practitioners in fulfilling their duties under section 10 (duty to co-operate to improve well-being), and section 11 (safeguarding and promoting welfare of children) of the Children Act 2004, section 175 of the Education Act 2002 (duty to safeguard and promote the welfare of children), and the local authority duties established by section 436A of the Education Act 1996 (to identify children not receiving education).
	Regulation 9(2) of the Children Act 2004 Information Database (England) Regulations 2007 provides that such access to ContactPoint may only be granted, in line with this purpose, by a local authority to the persons specified in schedule 3 (listed at annex A). Regulation 9(3) provides that such access to ContactPoint may only be granted, in line with the same purpose, by a 'national partner' (listed at annex B), to an employee of that 'national partner'.

Children: Disadvantaged

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what percentage of schoolchildren in Ribble Valley constituency qualify for free school meals.

Jim Knight: The requested information is given in the table.
	
		
			  Maintained nursery, primary and secondary schools( 1) : School meal arrangementsRibble Valley parliamentary constituencyposition as at January 2008 
			   Number/percentage 
			  Maintained nursery and primary schools  
			 Number on roll(2) 8,425 
			 Number of pupils taking free school meals 226 
			 Percentage taking free school meals 2.7 
			 Number of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals 261 
			 Percentage known to be eligible for free school meals 3.1 
			   
			  Maintained secondary schools( 3)  
			 Number on roll(2) 8,690 
			 Number of pupils taking free school meals 540 
			 Percentage taking free school meals 6.2 
			 Number of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals 598 
			 Percentage known to be eligible for free school meals 6.9 
			 (1) Includes middle schools as deemed (2) Includes dually registered pupils and boarding pupils (3) There are currently no city technology colleges and academies open in Ribble Valley constituency.  Source: School Census

Children: Human Trafficking

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families if he will bring forward plans for secure children's homes for children trafficked into the UK for the purpose of sexual exploitation.

Beverley Hughes: It is extremely important that all children in care are protected properly. Decisions on whether a child should be placed in a secure children's home are made according to the child's best interests. It would be inappropriate for the Government to second guess individual placement decisions by promoting secure children's homes as a preferred option. Where a local authority looks after a child, including those that have been trafficked, then they are responsible for identifying a placement that will be appropriate to meeting their needs, including their need to be kept safe from any likely harm.

Children: Literacy

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what recent steps the Government has taken to improve literacy levels among key stage 2 children.

Jim Knight: The Primary Framework for literacy offers access to a broad range of guidance and resources to support teachers in planning and ensuring their teaching is personalised to the needs of every child. This includes, from this September, new Support for Writing materials to improve the teaching of writing and raise standards in children's learning in this area. Through the Assessing Pupil Progress materials which underpin the Framework teachers can make secure judgments on where children are in their learning and what the next steps in their teaching should be.
	In addition, we have started pilots this term of the new Every Child a Writer programmea Children's Plan commitment. This programme focuses on pupils in years 3 and 4 and includes some one to one tuition. The Making Good Progress Pilot is trialling tuition to pupils who entered the Key Stages behind the expected level and who are not on track to make two levels of progress. Lessons learned from the pilot will inform a wide scale rollout of one to one tuition to reach 300,000 children a year in English by 2010-11 across Key Stages 2 and 3.

Children: Numeracy

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what recent steps the Government has taken to improve numeracy skills among key stage 2 children.

Jim Knight: The primary framework for literacy and mathematics offers access to a broad range of guidance and resources to support teachers in planning and ensuring their teaching is personalised to the needs of every child. Through the Assessing Pupil Progress materials which underpin the framework, teachers can make secure judgments on where children are in their learning and what the next steps in their teaching should be.
	The Independent Review of Mathematics Teaching in Early Years Settings and Primary Schools carried out by Sir Peter Williams reported on 17 June 2008. The Government accepted all 10 recommendations which focused on improving mathematics teaching and learning. The review's main recommendation was that every primary school should have access to a mathematics specialist by 2019. We are developing the training programme for mathematics specialists through a pathfinder project.
	In addition, our Every Child Counts programme is in its development phase and will aim to help approximately 30,000 children by 2011. Pilots have started this term. By improving attainment and progression in the bottom 5 per cent. of achievers in key stage 1, this should have a knock-on effect on attainment and progression in key stage 2.
	We have set up the National Centre for Excellence in the Teaching of Mathematics to provide better access to good quality continuing professional development opportunities for all teachers of mathematics.
	We have published a directory of mathematics enhancement and enrichment activities for schools that aim to improve pupils' attitude, motivation and enthusiasm for mathematics.
	The Making Good Progress Pilot is trialling tuition to pupils who entered key stages 2 and 3 behind the expected level in mathematics and who are not on track to make two levels of progress. Lessons learned from the pilot will inform a wide scale roll-out of tuition to reach 300,000 children a year in each of mathematics and English by 2010-11. 2010-11 will also see the introduction of an entitlement to individual tuition in mathematics for any pupil in key stage 2 who meets this criterion.

Children: Vetting

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what measures are in place to vet people coming into contact with children as part of their work experience for foundation and higher diplomas.

Beverley Hughes: All people having regular contact with and direct, unsupervised access to young people engaged in work experience as part of a foundation or higher diploma should be considered for a Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) disclosure. The decision to seek a CRB disclosure will depend on an assessment of the overall potential risks posed to a young person and should take into account the placement provider's systems for minimising such risks.
	The Department has published a range of guidanceboth statutory and non-statutorysetting out the roles and responsibilities of both work experience providers and those arranging such placements to ensure that students are learning in a safe environment and are protected from harm.

Children's Centres

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  what the adult to child ratio in Sure Start children's centres in England was in 2007-08;
	(2)  what percentage of children attending Sure Start children's centres in 2007-08 were from each socio-economic group; and what percentage of eligible children from each socio-economic group attended in that period.

Beverley Hughes: There are no adult/child ratios that are specifically for Sure Start children's centres. Where a centre's services include registered early years provision (integrated early learning and full day care places) this provision is subject to the same ratios and standards as all registered early years provision.
	The Childcare and Early Years Providers Survey collects information on the number of Ofsted registered places per paid member of staff in full day care settings in Sure Start children's centres. In 2007, there were 3.9 registered places per paid member of staff.
	The Department does not collect information centrally about the percentage of children attending Sure Start children's centres or their socio-economic group. Sure Start children's centres provide universal services for families with children under five. All children, no matter what their socio-economic group, are eligible to access services as are their fathers, mothers and carers. There are currently over 2,900 centres up and running providing early childhood services for almost 2.3 million children. By 2010, there will be at least 3,500 Sure Start children's centresone for every community.

Children's Centres: Disadvantaged

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many and what percentage of children starting primary school in 2008 and eligible for free school meals attended a Sure Start children's centre in the 2007-08 academic year.

Jim Knight: The information requested is not held centrally.

Custody

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families under what circumstances and for what reasons legal custody of a child may be removed from the parents of that child in cases where custody is not contested between the parents themselves.

Beverley Hughes: holding answer 8 October 2008
	A local authority can only intervene in the care and upbringing of a child without the parents' agreement if the local authority obtains a court order. The Children Act 1989 set out the circumstances under which a child may become subject to a care or supervision order. The threshold criteria for such intervention are:
	that the child concerned is suffering, or is likely to suffer, significant harm; and
	that the harm, or likelihood of harm, is attributable to the care given to the child (or which would be given if a care or supervision order were not made) and is not what could be reasonably expected of a parent, or that the child is beyond the control of the parents.
	Before any application is made in proceedings, the local authority will undertake a core assessment to assess the parents' capacity to meet the child's developmental needs in the context of the wider family and environmental factors. Other specialist assessments may also be commissioned. This assessment will identify whether there is evidence to support concerns about significant harm but will also focus on family strengths. The information will be analysed and lead to the development of a plan for the child which may result in care proceedings if the local authority consider that the criteria set out above have been met.
	It is for the court to determine whether the threshold criteria are met and whether a care order is in the best interests of the child. All the other parties involved have the right to respond to any allegations made in the analysis.

Departmental Consultants

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much his Department and its predecessors spent on consultations in each year since 1997.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: This information could not be provided without incurring disproportionate cost.

Departmental Manpower

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many civil servants employed by his Department stopped working for the Department in each of the last  (a) 12 months and  (b) five years.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The Department was formed as part of the machinery of government changes announced on 28 June 2007. Figures are only available up to the end of August 2008.
	During the period 28 June to 31 August, 389 people ceased working for the Department.
	
		
			   Number of people 
			  2008  
			 August 27 
			 July 17 
			 June 13 
			 May 23 
			 April 82 
			 March 59 
			 February 14 
			 January 49 
			   
			  2007  
			 December 11 
			 November 23 
			 October 18 
			 September 21 
			 August 20 
			 July 12

Departmental Manpower

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many civil servants were employed by his Department on a permanent basis in each of the last  (a) 12 months and  (b) five years.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The Department was formed as part of the machinery of government changes announced on 28 June 2007. Figures are only available up to 31 August 2008:
	
		
			  Month  New recruits to the Department 
			  2008  
			 August 12 
			 July 15 
			 June 8 
			 May 15 
			 April 14 
			 March 3 
			 February 5 
			 January 23 
			   
			  2007  
			 December 4 
			 November 9 
			 October 17 
			 September 22 
			 August 12 
			 July 15

Departmental Manpower

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many civil servants transferred from his Department to other Government departments in each of the last 24 months.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The Department was formed as part of the machinery of government changes announced on 28 June 2007. Figures are only available up to the end of August 2008.
	During the period 28 June to 31 August, a total number of 116 employees have transferred to other Government Departments:
	
		
			  Month  Number of employees 
			  2008  
			 August 2 
			 July 7 
			 June 2 
			 May 1 
			 April 63 
			 March 3 
			 February 2 
			 January 3 
			   
			  2007  
			 December 4 
			 November 11 
			 October 2 
			 September 4 
			 August 7 
			 July 5

Departmental Public Participation

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many public consultations were launched by his Department in each year since 1997.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The figures for DCSF and its predecessors, the Department for Education and Employment and Department for Education and Skills are as follows:
	
		
			   Consultations launched 
			 1997 (from 1 August) 2 
			 1998 3 
			 1999 3 
			 2000 41 
			 2001 56 
			 2002 35 
			 2003 45 
			 2004 33 
			 2005 45 
			 2006 44 
			 2007 51 
			 2008 (to date) 36

Departmental Publications

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what estimate he has made of the number and proportion of all staff in his Department who were involved with the preparation and publication of  (a) reports and  (b) consultations in each year since 1997.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The information requested is as follows:
	 (a) The Department has a central publications team which, since DCSF was established in 2007, has comprised of 2.5 full-time equivalent staff. However, central records are not held of the many different officials who contribute to the undertakings and publication of the Department's reports. It is therefore not possible to give an accurate estimate of their number or proportion without incurring disproportionate cost.
	 (b) The Department currently has a central consultation unit which comprises 7.4 full-time staff. This unit manages around 60 per cent. of the Department's consultations and provides support to policy teams running the remainder. Information on the number and proportion of policy team staff involved in consultations is not held centrally and could not be provided without incurring disproportionate cost.

Departmental Publications

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many reports were published by his Department and its predecessor in each year since 1997.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: This Department and its predecessors published the following number of corporate reports since 1997:
	
		
			   Number 
			 1997 1 
			 1998 1 
			 1999 1 
			 2000 1 
			 2001 1 
			 2002 1 
			 2003 2 
			 2004 2 
			 2005 2 
			 2006 2 
			 2007 2 
			 2008 (to date) 1 
		
	
	Our central records do not show items which may have been produced under devolved budgets by individual policy teams.

Departmental Publications

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what estimate he has made of the average number of days spent on the preparation and publication of  (a) reports and  (b) consultations by his staff in each year since 1997.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The information is as follows:
	 (a) Because budgets for the Department's publications are devolved to individual policy teams, we do not keep central records to show how long staff spend on the undertaking and publication of reports each year. It is therefore not possible to give an accurate estimate without incurring disproportionate cost.
	 (b) The number of days spent undertaking consultations is not recorded centrally and could not be collated without incurring disproportionate cost.

Departmental Publications

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much his Department spent on the  (a) production and  (b) publication of reports in each year since 1997.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Since its formation, this Department spent 37,720 on production of its corporate reports in 2007 and 21,112 (to date) in 2008.
	Our records do not distinguish between the costs of production and publication, and central records do not show items which may have been produced under devolved budgets by individual policy teams.

Departmental Redundancy Pay

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much was spent by his Department on voluntary early release schemes and redundancies in each of the last 10 years.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The Department was formed as part of the machinery of government changes announced on 28 June 2007.
	During the period 28 June to date, the cost of voluntary early releases to the Department is 13.2 million. This covers releases planned until September 2009.

Departmental Telephone Services

Colin Challen: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what agencies or units for which his Department is responsible require the public to make telephone calls to them on numbers which charge more than the national call rate; and how much income each such agency has derived from such charges in each of the last three years.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The information is as follows:
	(a) The DCSF general inquiry line uses an 0870 number to provide a standard call rate for members of the public irrespective of where they live in the country. The Department does not receive any income from the use of an 0870 number.
	(b) The Department also contracts with suppliers to provide helpline services to the public, usually in support of information campaigns.
	The Sexwise inquiry number is an 0800 number and is therefore free from landlines. The Affordable Childcare Campaign Helpline is also a free 0800 number. Calls to this number are diverted to local family information services in each local authority. The transfers are also cost free to callers.
	As with all 0800 numbers, some mobile network charges may apply.
	(c) The Department does not have any agencies.
	(d) We do not hold costs for our non-departmental public bodies.

Diplomas: Mathematics

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families which diplomas will include  (a) compulsory and  (b) optional mathematics A-level.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Mathematics A-Level isn't compulsory for any Diploma, but will be available to learners as part of additional/specialist learning. This offers young people the opportunity to study mathematics where it supports their progression to employment or further study.

Education Maintenance Allowance

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many people claimed the education maintenance allowance in each year since its introduction.

Jim Knight: The numbers of successful EMA claims in each academic year since inception is shown in the following table:
	
		
			   Numbers accessing EMA 
			 1999-2000 14,135 
			 2000-01 73,230 
			 2001-02 114,254 
			 2002-03 124,351 
			 2003-04 126,871 
			 2004-05 297,567 
			 2005-06 430,327 
			 2006-07 528,403 
			 2007-08 556,702 
			  Notes: 1. Young people who have claimed EMA while on an E2E programme and then progressed in the same year to a school sixth form or a college course will be counted twice in the yearly figures; 2. These figures are for England only.

Education Maintenance Allowance

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what estimate he has made of the number of those aged 16 years and older in education who are eligible to claim education maintenance allowance but do not do so.

Jim Knight: Eligibility for the education maintenance allowance (EMA) is based on household income. The Department for Children, Schools and Families does not hold information on the household income of all households with a 16 to 19-year-old who participate in a course that meets the EMA valid provision criteria. Therefore it is not possible to calculate the precise number of students who are eligible for EMA on household income grounds but do not do so.

Education Maintenance Allowance

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what percentage of those in  (a) full-time and  (b) part-time education aged (i) 16, (ii) 17 year and (iii) 18 years claimed education maintenance allowance in each year since its introduction.

Jim Knight: The percentages of people studying in full-time education and who received EMA since the scheme was nationally rolled out in 2004 are shown in the following table. The information on the percentage of those in part-time education aged (i) 16 (ii) 17 and (iii) 18-years-old claimed educational maintenance allowance in each year since its introduction is not available as the information held is not broken down in this way.
	
		
			  Table 1: Percentage of people studying in full-time( 1)  education who received EMA 
			   2004-05  2005-06  2006-07 
			 16-year-olds 45.0 45.4 46.4 
			 17-year-olds 15.7 42.3 44.3 
			 18-year-olds 18.2 21.6 51.9 
			 (1) Estimated percentage is likely to include EMA recipients who are studying on courses of less than 450 guided learning hours per year, which is the definition used for full-time full year courses.  Notes: 1. EMA is only available for people studying on courses of at least 12 guided learning hours a week. This is the only management information known about course length of EMA recipients, therefore it not possible to split figures into full and part-time. 2. Information is only available since national rollout in 2004-05. 3. Breakdown for 2007-08 is not available at present. 4. Figures are for England only.

Education Maintenance Allowance

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much his Department expects to spend annually on the education maintenance allowance from 2013 onwards.

Jim Knight: Forecasts of expenditure beyond the current comprehensive spending review period are not available.

Education Maintenance Allowance

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many people eligible to receive the education maintenance allowance achieved three As at A-level in each year since the allowance was introduced.

Jim Knight: The Department for Children, Schools and Families does not hold information on the percentage of those claiming education maintenance allowance studying for AS or A-level exams.

Education Maintenance Allowance

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what percentage of those claiming education maintenance allowance studied for AS or A-level exams in each year since the allowance was introduced.

Jim Knight: The Department for Children, Schools and Families does not hold information on the percentage of those claiming education maintenance allowance studying for AS or A-level exams. The evaluation of the EMA pilots did examine the impact of EMA on participation and attainment but did not focus on those studying for specific examinations.

Education Maintenance Allowance

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many and what percentage of students eligible to receive the education maintenance allowance have not received a payment under the scheme.

Jim Knight: The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) is responsible for the delivery of education maintenance allowance (EMA). The LSC has reported technical and processing issues which have resulted in delays to the delivery of EMA to learners.
	The LSC have been working with their contractor to improve the position. I wrote to the Chairman of the Select Committee on 8 October to provide an update on progress. A copy of that letter has been copied to the hon. Gentleman and placed in both Libraries of the House.
	It should be noted, however, that eligibility for EMA is based on household income. The Department for Children, Schools and Families does not hold information on the household income of all households containing a 16 to 19-year-old who are participating in a course that meets the EMA valid provision criteria. Therefore it is not possible to calculate the precise number of students who are eligible for EMA on household income grounds but have not received a payment.

Education: Children in Care

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what percentage of children in care  (a) gained five or more GCSEs at C grade or above and  (b) entered university in the latest period for which figures are available.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The percentage of children looked after continuously for at least 12 months who gained five or more GCSEs or GNVQ equivalents at grades A*-C is given within table C of the Statistical First Release Outcome Indicators for Children Looked After, Twelve months to 30 September 2007England which can be found at:
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000785/index.shtml
	Information on entries to university of children in care is not held centrally.

Education: Private Finance Initiative

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what assessment he has made of the likely effect of the economic situation on the delivery of private finance initiative educational projects; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The only educational projects where private finance initiative (PFI) is involved are for school buildings and facilities management.
	Market interest in BSF continues to be healthy, and to date, no BSF PFI schemes have been delayed or halted as a result of the current economic conditions. Working with Partnerships for Schools, we are closely monitoring the impact of the current financial climate on the marketability of new PFI projects.
	An operational PFI contract could be affected where the private sector partner's ability to deliver becomes affected. Where this has happened in the past, we have worked with HM Treasury to ensure that the authority and its schools continue to benefit from the services promised by the PFI contract.

Education: Young People

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families which local authorities are involved in the 14 to 19 engagement programme; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: In the 2008/09 academic year there are 112 local authorities involved in the Key Stage 4 engagement programme, listed as follows. These schemes will provide for 21,500 young people who are demotivated by the normal curriculum and are at serious risk of dropping-out. Partnerships of schools, colleges, employers, voluntary sector organisations and training providers have developed a range of work-focused learning, often taught outside typical classrooms, demonstrating the usefulness of learning, developing skills and remotivating young people to continue their education. These local authorities are leading the way in developing this important provision. Of a sample of the Year 11 pupils involved in 2006/07, the first year of the programme, 77 per cent. progressed to full-time learning and 6 per cent. to full-time employment after age 16.
	Barking and Dagenham, Barnet, Barnsley, Bedfordshire, Bexley, Birmingham, Blackburn with Darwen, Blackpool, Bolton, Bournemouth, Bradford, Brighton and Hove, Bristol, Bromley, Bury, Calderdale, Cambridgeshire, Cheshire, Coventry, Croydon, Cumbria, Derby, Derbyshire, Devon, Doncaster, Dudley, Durham, East Riding of Yorkshire, East Sussex, Essex, Gloucestershire, Greenwich, Hackney, Halton, Hampshire, Haringey, Havering, Herefordshire, Hertfordshire, Hillingdon, Hounslow, Hull, Isle of Wight, Islington, Kent, Kirklees, Knowsley, Lambeth, Lancashire, Leeds, Leicester, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Liverpool, Luton, Manchester, Medway, Middlesbrough, Milton Keynes, Newcastle, Newham, Norfolk, Northamptonshire, North East Lincolnshire, North Lincolnshire, Northumberland, North Yorkshire, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, Oldham, Peterborough, Plymouth, Portsmouth, Reading, Redbridge, Rochdale, Rotherham, Rutland, Salford, Sandwell, Sefton, Sheffield, Shropshire, Solihull, Somerset, Southampton, Southend on Sea, South Gloucestershire, South Tyneside, Southwark, Staffordshire, St. Helens, Stockport, Stoke on Trent, Suffolk, Swindon, Tameside, Telford and Wrekin, Thurrock, Torbay, Tower Hamlets, Trafford, Wakefield, Walsall, Waltham Forest, Warrington, Warwickshire, Wigan, Wirral, Wolverhampton, Worcestershire, York.

Education: Young People

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  what his most recent estimate is of the number of 16 to 18-year-olds who are not in education or training, broken down by parental income decile;
	(2)  what his Department's most recent estimate is of the number and percentage of 16 to 18-year-olds not in education or training; and how many of these belong to households with annual incomes  (a) below 30,810,  (b) below 25,522 and  (c) below 20,817 a year.

Jim Knight: A combined response to PQs 226048 and 226049 is provided here due to the similarity of the questions and data availability.
	The Department publishes estimates of 16 to 18-year-olds who were not in education or training (NET) in a Statistical First Release, which can be found at the following link:
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000792/index.shtml
	The latest estimate for 16 to 18-year-olds who were NET in England at the end of 2007 was 21.3 per cent. or 430,000 young people.
	These figures cannot be broken down by income decile or household income.

Education: Young People

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many 16 to 24 year olds were not in full-time education, employment or training in each  (a) local authority area and ( b) parliamentary constituency in the latest period for which figures are available; and what proportion of the population of 16 to 24 year olds this represented in each such area.

Beverley Hughes: The Department publishes estimates of 16 to 24-year-olds who were not in education, employment or training (NEET) in a quarterly brief on NEET, which can be found here:
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/STA/t000751/index.shtml
	The data are not split by full/part time education. These figures come from the Labour Force Survey and the latest, quarter two 2008, figure for 16 to 24-year-olds not in education, employment or training in England was 840,000 or 14.0 per cent. of the population. These figures cannot be disaggregated to local authority or parliamentary constituency level.
	However, we can give an indication of the number of 16, 17 and 18-year-olds(1) NEET at the end of 2007 in local authorities in England from data provided by Connexions services. This can be found on the Department's website at the following link:
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/1419/index.cfm?go=site.homesid= 42pid=343lid=337ctype=Textptype=Single
	Data provided by Connexions services are used to set and monitor local authority NEET targets. However, it should be noted that figures are calculated on a different basis from that used in the Department's estimates, and therefore do not give the same totals.
	(1) Connexions service figures relate to calendar age (rather than academic age as is used in the Department's participation estimates)

Ethnic Minority Achievement Grant

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what assessment he has made of the effect that the Ethnic Minority Achievement Grant has had on improving educational performance; and if he will make a statement.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The Ethnic Minority Achievement Grant (EMAG) has risen from 162 million in 2004-05 to 187 million in 2008-09 and will rise to 206 million by 2010-11. This ring-fenced grant provides specific funding to contribute to the work of local authorities and schools in narrowing achievement gaps for black and minority ethnic pupils, and covers some of the additional costs in meeting the needs of bilingual learners and underachieving pupils. In the five years 2002 to 2007 the proportion of children from most ethnic minority groups achieving national expectations at key stages 2 and 4 has increased faster than that of the whole cohort. The targeted use of EMAG has contributed towards this desirable outcome.

General Certificate of Secondary Education

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many pupils obtaining five good GCSEs including English and mathematics also received an equivalent qualification worth four GCSEs in the latest period for which figures are available.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The information requested is not readily available; however the following information shows the percentage of pupils who achieved 5 or more A*-C grades at GCSE only and the additional contribution provided when each equivalency is included.
	
		
			  Qualification  Percentage 
			 5+ A*-C at GCSE and equivalents 60.8 
			  O f which :  
			 GCSEs 52.1 
			 GCSE (short) 0.3 
			   
			  GCSEs  
			 Vocational 1.7 
			 AS Levels 0.1 
			 Full GNVQs 3.3 
			 Other 3.3

General Certificate of Secondary Education

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what proportion of pupils gaining five good GCSEs did so by gaining five separate GCSE qualifications excluding equivalents in each of the last five years for which data are available.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The information requested is as follows:
	
		
			  Percentage of pupils achieving 5 good GCSEs excluding equivalents 
			   Percentage 
			 2003 49.9 
			 2004 50.2 
			 2005 51.2 
			 2006 51.6 
			 2007 52.1 
			  Note: Figures relate to pupils at the end of Key Stage 4 in all schools.

General Certificate of Secondary Education

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many and what proportion of pupils did not obtain a single D grade or above at GCSE in the latest period for which figures are available.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: 84,906 pupils at the end of Key Stage 4 did not obtain a single D grade or above at GCSE in 2006/07. This was 13.1 per cent. of all pupils at the end of Key Stage 4 in all schools.
	Figures relate to GCSE only.

Headteachers: Vacancies

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many  (a) primary and  (b) secondary schools are without a permanent head teacher in each local authority area.

Jim Knight: The information is not available in the format requested.
	January 2008 figures for head teacher posts that were either vacant or temporarily filled are provided in the following table.
	Post are counted where a permanent head teacher is expected to return to the post. It will include posts filled on a temporary basis, those that have not yet been advertised as vacant and where an appointment has been made and not yet taken up.
	
		
			  Temporarily filled head teacher full-time permanent posts in local authority maintained nursery/primary and secondary schools in England, January 2008 
			   Nursery and primary  Secondary 
			 City of London 0 0 
			 Camden 1 0 
			 Greenwich 1 2 
			 Hackney 2 0 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 2 0 
			 Islington 1 0 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 1 0 
			 Lambeth 4 0 
			 Lewisham 0 0 
			 Southwark 1 0 
			 Tower Hamlets 4 1 
			 Wandsworth 0 0 
			 City of Westminster 0 1 
			 Barking and Dagenham 2 0 
			 Barnet 3 0 
			 Bexley 0 1 
			 Brent 2 0 
			 Bromley 1 0 
			 Croydon 5 0 
			 Ealing 3 0 
			 Enfield 2 0 
			 Haringey 0 0 
			 Harrow 4 0 
			 Havering 3 1 
			 Hillingdon 3 0 
			 Hounslow 2 0 
			 Kingston upon Thames 8 0 
			 Merton 1 0 
			 Newham 2 0 
			 Redbridge 3 0 
			 Richmond upon Thames 1 0 
			 Sutton 1 0 
			 Waltham Forest 5 1 
			 Birmingham 11 2 
			 Coventry 0 0 
			 Dudley 5 0 
			 Sandwell 4 0 
			 Solihull 0 0 
			 Walsall 2 0 
			 Wolverhampton 3 1 
			 Knowsley 0 0 
			 Liverpool 1 0 
			 St. Helens 1 0 
			 Sefton 0 0 
			 Wirral 1 1 
			 Bolton 0 0 
			 Bury 1 0 
			 Manchester 2 0 
			 Oldham 5 0 
			 Rochdale 1 0 
			 Salford 7 0 
			 Stockport 1 0 
			 Tameside 0 0 
			 Trafford 1 0 
			 Wigan 0 0 
			 Barnsley 1 0 
			 Doncaster 3 2 
			 Rotherham 1 0 
			 Sheffield 4 2 
			 Bradford 5 2 
			 Calderdale 1 0 
			 Kirklees 0 0 
			 Leeds 5 2 
			 Wakefield 5 0 
			 Gateshead 0 0 
			 Newcastle upon Tyne 3 0 
			 North Tyneside 4 0 
			 South Tyneside 1 0 
			 Sunderland 1 0 
			 Isles of Scilly 0 0 
			 Isle of Anglesey 0 0 
			 Gwynedd 0 0 
			 Conwy 0 0 
			 Denbighshire 0 0 
			 Flintshire 0 0 
			 Wrexham 0 0 
			 Powys 0 0 
			 Ceredigion 0 0 
			 Pembrokeshire 0 0 
			 Carmarthenshire 0 0 
			 Swansea 0 0 
			 Neath Port Talbot 0 0 
			 Bridgend 0 0 
			 Vale of Glamorgan 0 0 
			 Rhondda Cynon Taff 0 0 
			 Merthyr Tydfil 0 0 
			 Caerphilly 0 0 
			 Blaenau Gwent 0 0 
			 Torfaen 0 0 
			 Monmouthshire 0 0 
			 Newport 0 0 
			 Cardiff 0 0 
			 Bath and North East Somerset 1 0 
			 City of Bristol 3 0 
			 North Somerset 0 0 
			 South Gloucestershire 7 0 
			 Hartlepool 0 0 
			 Middlesbrough 0 0 
			 Redcar and Cleveland 0 0 
			 Stockton on Tees 0 1 
			 City of Kingston Upon Hull 1 0 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire 4 0 
			 North East Lincolnshire 1 0 
			 North Lincolnshire 1 1 
			 North Yorkshire 9 4 
			 York 0 0 
			 Bedfordshire 1 3 
			 Luton 3 1 
			 Buckinghamshire 4 1 
			 Milton Keynes 1 0 
			 Derbyshire 8 1 
			 Derby 2 0 
			 Dorset 11 0 
			 Poole 0 0 
			 Bournemouth 2 0 
			 Durham 3 1 
			 Darlington 0 0 
			 East Sussex 7 1 
			 Brighton and Hove 2 1 
			 Hampshire 14 0 
			 Portsmouth 2 0 
			 Southampton 4 0 
			 Leicestershire 5 1 
			 Leicester 5 0 
			 Rutland 1 0 
			 Staffordshire 11 3 
			 Stoke on Trent 2 0 
			 Wiltshire 6 0 
			 Swindon 2 0 
			 Bracknell Forest 1 0 
			 Windsor and Maidenhead 2 0 
			 West Berkshire 0 0 
			 Reading 2 0 
			 Slough 0 0 
			 Wokingham 0 0 
			 Cambridgeshire 8 0 
			 Peterborough 3 0 
			 Cheshire 11 0 
			 Halton 2 0 
			 Warrington 1 1 
			 Devon 10 1 
			 Plymouth 0 0 
			 Torbay 0 0 
			 Essex 8 1 
			 Southend on Sea 1 0 
			 Thurrock 4 0 
			 Herefordshire 0 0 
			 Worcestershire 6 4 
			 Kent 17 2 
			 Medway 1 0 
			 Lancashire 5 1 
			 Blackburn with Darwen 5 0 
			 Blackpool 0 0 
			 Nottinghamshire 0 0 
			 Nottingham 0 0 
			 Shropshire 5 0 
			 Telford and Wrekin 2 0 
			 Cornwall 10 0 
			 Cumbria 11 3 
			 Gloucestershire 5 0 
			 Hertfordshire 13 0 
			 Isle of Wight 2 0 
			 Lincolnshire 9 1 
			 Norfolk 2 0 
			 Northamptonshire 3 0 
			 Northumberland 6 1 
			 Oxfordshire 5 1 
			 Somerset 5 1 
			 Suffolk 6 1 
			 Surrey 9 1 
			 Warwickshire 9 0 
			 West Sussex 9 0 
			 Total 469 57 
			  Source: Annual Survey of teachers in service and teacher vacancies, 618g.

Health Education: Donors

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Give and Let Live organ donation education programme for secondary school pupils.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: We consider the Give and Let Live programme, produced by NHS Blood and Transplant, to be extremely useful in helping pupils to improve their knowledge and understanding of key issues relating to donation. This view is backed up by the recent evaluation of the programme conducted by the Jeanette Crizzle Trust.
	A joint letter from the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families and the Secretary of State for Health was sent to all schools on 30 September to raise the profile of the programme, and to ensure that schools are aware of the importance of teaching about donation. Every further education institution will also receive this letter in the week commencing 13 October.

Health Education: Sex

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families when he expects the group reviewing sex and relationship education to report its recommendations.

Jim Knight: The sex and relationships education (SRE) review steering group has had its final meeting and is in the process of finalising its report, which it intends to publish shortly.

Higher Education: Disadvantaged

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what percentage of those in receipt of education maintenance allowance entered  (a) higher education,  (b) a Russell Group university and  (c) Oxford or Cambridge University in each year since the allowance was introduced.

Jim Knight: The Department for Children, Schools and Families does not hold information on the destinations of young people after they have been in receipt of education maintenance allowance (EMA). The LSC are planning a future piece of work to conduct further analysis of UCAS data on young people progressing into higher education, and to match that with those who have previously been in receipt of EMA. A copy of that study, when available, will be placed in the House Library.

Independent Schools: Assessments

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many independent schools had pupils taking key stage 3 tests in the last five years for which figures are available.

Jim Knight: Independent schools offer national curriculum based assessment at key stage 3 on a voluntary basis. Their results are not published at school level in the secondary (key stage 3) achievement and attainment tables.
	The figures in the following table include independent schools and independent schools approved to take pupils with special educational needs in which there were pupils with eligible results:
	
		
			  Examination year  Independent schools with eligible pupils  Total number of schools with eligible pupils 
			 2007 311 4,472 
			 2006 319 4,491 
			 2005 350 4,510 
			 2004 307 4,502 
			 2003 293 4,469

Independent Schools: Assessments

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many independent schools have pupils studying for an A-level in communication and culture.

Jim Knight: There is not an A level in communication and culture. Figures for related subjects in 2006/07 are given as follows:
	
		
			   Independent  All schools 
			   Number of independent schools and colleges that entered pupils into subject  Percentage of independent schools and colleges that entered pupils into subject  Number of schools and colleges that entered pupils into subject  Percentage of schools and colleges that entered pupils into subject 
			 Accounting 54 9.2 342 12.5 
			 Business Studies 406 69.2 1,837 67.3 
			 Economics 347 59.1 1,134 41.6 
			 Geography 475 80.9 2,187 80.1 
			 Government and Politics 222 37.8 998 36.6 
			 History 493 84.0 2,365 86.7 
			 Law 49 8.3 890 32.6 
			 Psychology 273 46.5 2,078 76.1 
			 Sociology 74 12.6 1,529 56.0 
			 Other social studies 61 10.4 323 11.8 
			 Art and Design 518 88.2 2,398 87.9 
			 Drama 352 60.0 1,669 61.2 
			 English 527 89.8 2,532 92.8 
			 Media/Film/TV 76 12.9 1,358 49.8 
			 Other communication 42 7.2 694 25.4 
			  Notes: 1. Other social studies includes 'European studies', 'archaeology', 'logic/philosophy' and 'citizenship'. 2. Art and Design' includes 'drawing and painting', 'graphics', 'photography', '3D studies', 'textiles', 'fine art' and 'critical studies'. 3. Other communication studies include communication studies, performance studies' and 'film studies'. 4. Figures relate to 16 to 18-year-olds (age at start of academic year, i.e. 31 August 2006).

Languages: Schools

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  which languages are taught in a primary school, broken down by the number of schools teaching each language;
	(2)  which primary schools teach a foreign language other than French, Spanish or German.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The following table details the proportions of those primary schools who reported in autumn 2007 that they were teaching languages in class time teaching each particular language. The data were obtained from ongoing research commissioned by the Department, which estimated that 84 per cent. of primary schools were teaching languages in class time. The figures are based on a representative sample of maintained primary schools and the survey achieved a 69 per cent. response rate nationally. Percentages do not add up to 100 per cent. as some schools offer two or more languages.
	Other languages taught in small numbers of primary schools included: Latin, Russian, Polish, British Sign Language, Punjabi, Arabic, Portuguese, Turkish, Swedish, Dutch, Esperanto, Welsh, Cornish, Danish, Estonian, Taiwanese, Modern Hebrew, Afrikaans, Somali, Maori and Finnish.
	
		
			   Percentage of schools offering languages at KS2 
			 French 89 
			 Spanish 23 
			 German 9 
			 Italian 3 
			 Other languages 3 
			 Chinese 1 
			 Japanese 1 
			 Urdu 1 
			 Bengali 1

Languages: Schools

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families which secondary schools teach ( a) Chinese, (b) Urdu,  (c) Japanese and  (d) Italian and are located in a local authority area which also includes at least one primary school which teaches that subject.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The Department does not hold this information.

Languages: Schools

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families which secondary schools offer  (a) Italian,  (b) Chinese,  (c) Urdu and  (d) Japanese at (i) GCSE and (ii) A-level.

Jim Knight: DCSF does not hold information on schools that offer particular subjects.
	Information on the number of schools that entered pupils into these subjects can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Learning and Skills Council

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many full-time equivalent staff work for the Learning and Skills Council.

David Lammy: I have been asked to reply
	The Learning and Skills Council's Annual Report and Accounts for 2007-08 set out details of the number of staff employed by the organisation. For the year ended March 2008, the average number of staff employed by the LSC was 3,451. This includes 269 agency and temporary staff and five inward secondees. These figures are based on full time equivalent numbers.

Members: Correspondence

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families when he expects the Minister of State for Children, Young People and Families to reply to the letter dated 29 July from the hon. Member for East Worthing and Shoreham on the Haut de la Garenne children's home.

Beverley Hughes: A response was sent by the Minister for Children, Young People and Families via e-mail on 9 October.

National Curriculum Tests

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what payments are due to ETS for the administration of the national tests in each year from 2008-09 to 2012-13; how much has been paid to ETS to date; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The total paid to ETS for the administration of the national curriculum tests during the first contract cycle was 35,023,576.65 (including the final payment under the exit plan of 52,516), of which 19,500,000.00 has now been returned.

National Curriculum Tests

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many pupils requested a re-mark of key stage  (a) 2 and  (b) 3 tests in each of the last five years; and in what percentage of such cases the mark was revised.

Jim Knight: The National Assessment Agency has in place arrangements for marking to be reviewed where a school believes that it is inaccurate to the extent that a pupil has received an incorrect national curriculum level. The NAA's review service is not available to pupils. However, schools may request reviews of marking on behalf of their pupils.
	Tables 1 and 2 show the number of review requests received by the NAA, since 2004, for a marking review of key stage 2 and key stage 3 national curriculum tests and what proportion of the requests resulted in a level change. Data for 2008 are not yet available.
	The figures in the tables were provided by the NAA.
	
		
			  Table 1 
			  Pupils 
			  Reviews  Review requested  Reviews resulting in a lower level  Reviews resulting in an increase in level 
			   2004  2005  2006  2007  2004  2005  2006  2007  2004  2005  2006  2007 
			  KS2 English 
			 Individual review(1) 11,480 15,509 7,516 5,736 50 26 7 8 2,441 762 505 185 
			 Percentage 0.01 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.38 0.12 0.08 0.03 
			  
			 Group review(2) n/a 4,561 9,957 3,784 124 55 56 60 1209 320 149 49 
			 Percentage 0.02 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.19 0.05 0.02 0.01 
			  
			  KS2 Mathematics 
			 Individual review 623 578 755 670 4 3 0 0 239 282 324 286 
			 Percentage 0.04 0.04 0.05 0.04 
			  
			 Group review 0 0 67 0 n/a 0 1 0 n/a 0 2 0 
			 Percentage n/an/a
			  
			  KS2 Science 
			 Individual review 1,129 885 1,164 1,340 6 2 0 2 634 435 525 555 
			 Percentage 0.10 0.07 0.08 0.09 
			  
			 Group review 0 0 27 9 n/a 0 0 0 n/a 0 0 0 
			 Percentage n/an/a
		
	
	
		
			  Table  2 
			  Pupils 
			  Reviews  Review requested  Reviews resulting in a lower level  Reviews resulting in an increase in level 
			   2004  2005  2006  2007  2004  2005  2006  2007  2004  2005  2006  2007 
			  KS 3  English 
			 Individual review(1) 6,978 2,413 4,790 3,446 306 18 5 10 3,870 1,077 775 1,521 
			 Percentage 0.05 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.60 0.17 0.12 0.23 
			  
			 Group review(2) n/a 20,544 75,133 25,549 2,422 581 107 488 10,968 2,485 1,825 3,019 
			 Percentage 0.37 0.09 0.02 0.08 1.69 0.38 0.28 0.46 
			  
			  KS 3  Mathematics 
			 Individual review 479 604 615 536 13 2 0 1 289 403 401 283 
			 Percentage 0.000.04 0.06 0.06 0.04 
			  
			 Group review n/a 0 230 0 n/a 0 5 0 n/a 0 11 0 
			 Percentage n/a  0.00  n/a  0.00  
			  
			  KS 3  Science 
			 Individual review 3,086 2,298 1,976 2,651 31 8 5 3 1,157 832 779 898 
			 Percentage 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.18 0.13 0.12 0.14 
			  
			 Group review n/a 870 426 825 n/a 35 18 15 n/a 61 21 22 
			 Percentage n/a 0.01 0.00 0.00 n/a 0.01 000 0.00 
			 (1) Individual reviews are for schools that believe the mark scheme was incorrectly applied for one or more pupils but not across the cohort. (2) Group reviews are for schools that believe the mark scheme was incorrectly applied across the cohort (which must be more than 30 pupils). Group reviews in mathematics and science were not conducted until 2005.

National Curriculum Tests

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what reports have been prepared by the National Assessment Agency into the reliability of Key Stage tests since 1 January 2002; which of those reports have been published; if he will publish the unpublished reports; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: While the National Assessment Agency (NAA) does not routinely produce or publish reports on reliability of Key Stage tests in general, it has produced some reports on the reliability of marking. These are available on the NAA website.

Parents: Employment

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what recent steps the Government has taken to increase the attainment of employment-based skills by parents.

Si�n Simon: I have been asked to reply.
	We are making skills and learning provision as flexible and accessible as possible both to create a more highly skilled, productive work force and to achieve our goals for improved social justice and inclusion.
	Recognising that the family can be a good place to learn, the Learning and Skills Council funds family literacy, language and numeracy programmes, where parents can work towards basic skills qualifications. At the same time, they receive help with supporting their children's learning. A further outcome is that many, having gained confidence and skills, want to gain employment. LSC further funds the Family Learning Network which runs a variety of learning events such as the Family Learning Festival taking place over the course of October 2008.
	The Government have made a clear commitment to integrate the employment and skills systems. The aim is that all of those out of workincluding parentswill get the help they need to address their skills needs, find employment and progress in work through continued skills development. To help more people find more learning, we are creating a new adult advancement and careers service, drawing together a full range of advice and support on issues such as jobs, skills, child care, housing, financial and personal issues to address the broader needs of customers.

Pre-school Education

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the projected annual costs arising from the extension of free entitlement to nursery places to all two year olds;
	(2)  when he expects the extension of the free entitlement to nursery places to all two year olds to be implemented.

Beverley Hughes: We are currently working with our delivery partners to develop plans to extend the free early education entitlement for two-year-olds. Pilots are already operating in 63 local authorities. More information about the extension will be included in the child care strategy document, announced in June and to be published within the next three months.

Pre-school Education

Susan Kramer: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  when he expects all two to five year olds in England to be entitled to 15 hours per week of pre-school education; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how many three to five year olds he expects to be entitled to 15 hours per week of pre-school education in each of the next 10 years; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  how much additional funding will be made available to increase the pre-school education entitlement to 15 hours per week for two to five year olds in each of the next 10 years; and if he will make a statement;
	(4)  how many two year olds he expects to be entitled to 15 hours per week of pre-school education in each of the next 10 years; and if he will make a statement.

Beverley Hughes: From 2010 all three and four-year-olds will be entitled to 15 hours of free early education. We are already implementing a staged roll out of the extended entitlement, with three and four-year-olds in 34 local authority pathfinders entitled to 15 hours free early education from this year and an additional 25 per cent. of children in all other local authorities entitled to 15 hours of free early education from 2009. An additional 590 million is available between now and 2011 for this extension. Subsequent funding will, of course, depend on the outcome of the next comprehensive spending review.
	We are currently working with our delivery partners to develop plans to extend the free early education entitlement for two-year-olds. Pilots are already operating in 63 local authorities. More information about the extension will be included in the child care strategy document, announced in June and to be published by the end of this year.

Primary Capital Programmes

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families if he will publish the primary capital programmes submitted to his Department by each local authority in 2008; and if he will make a statement.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: There are no immediate plans to do so. We are currently finalising our assessment of the strategic plans for local delivery of the primary capital programme and expect to be in a position to notify local authorities of the outcome shortly.

Primary Education

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many primary schools were closed or merged in each year since 1997.

Jim Knight: The following table sets out the number of primary maintained mainstream schools which have closed or merged each year under local decision-making arrangements, which were introduced in September 1999. Information held on proposals that were decided under the arrangements that operated prior to September 1999 is not reliable and has therefore been excluded.
	
		
			  Reason for closure  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007  2008  Total 
			 Cease to Maintain 9 20 20 24 32 27 35 38 38 243 
			 Due to Amalgamation 92 168 172 170 180 208 208 245 160 1,603 
			 For an Academy 3   6 5 14 
			 Fresh Start 6 1 1 2 3 5 2 2  22 
			 Add or Change Religious Character  2 3 7 4 6 2 1  25 
			 New Establishment  2   1 3 
			 Total 107 193 196 203 223 246 247 292 203 1,910 
			  Note: The table includes the reasons for closure. The numbers shown in the row headed 'Cease to Maintain' indicate closures where the schools have not been replaced by new schools. In all other cases, a replacement school will have been established (sometimes on the site of a closing school), or an amalgamating school altered, to accommodate displaced pupils.

Primary Education: Class Sizes

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many and what proportion of primary school pupils were being educated in schools with more than 500 pupils in each year since 1997.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The requested information is given in the table.
	
		
			  Maintained primary schools( 1) : Number (headcount) of pupils in primary schools with more than 500 pupils( 2) position in January each year 1997 to 2008England 
			   Number of pupils in primary schools  Number of primary schools  Number of primary schools with more than 500 pupils  Percentage of primary schools with more than 500 pupils  Number of pupils in primary schools with more than 500 pupils  Percentage of primary schools with more than 500 pupils 
			 1997 4,429,043 18,392 536 2.9 310,747 7.0 
			 1998 4,460,646 18,312 556 3.0 324,357 7.3 
			 1999 4,460,171 18,234 577 3.2 338,372 7.6 
			 2000 4,435,346 18,158 570 3.1 336,932 7.6 
			 2001 4,406,215 18,069 597 3.3 352,966 8.0 
			 2002 4,363,343 17,985 582 3.2 343,788 7.9 
			 2003 4,309,034 17,861 539 3.0 320,289 7.4 
			 2004 4,252,540 17,762 514 2.9 306,438 7.2 
			 2005 4,204,496 17,642 503 2.9 301,253 7.2 
			 2006 4,148,951 17,504 487 2.8 293,394 7.1 
			 2007 4,107,676 17,361 476 2.7 289,678 7.1 
			 2008 4,087,786 17,205 482 2.8 295,065 7.2 
			 (1) Includes middle schools as deemed. (2) Excludes dually registered pupils.  Source: School Census

Primary Education: Gloucestershire

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families which primary schools in Gloucestershire have fewer than 50 pupils.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The requested information is given in the table.
	
		
			  Maintained primary schools: schools with fewer than 50 pupils (headcount): As at January 2008. Gloucestershire local authority 
			  School Name  Estab number  Headcount of pupils( 1) 
			 Withington Church of England Primary School 3352 14 
			 Joys Green Primary School 2078 15 
			 Monkscroft Community Primary School 2182 17 
			 Bibury Church of England Primary School 3019 32 
			 Oakridge Parochial School 3310 32 
			 Didbrook Primary School 2087 34 
			 Swell Church of England Primary School 3071 36 
			 Ashleworth Church of England Primary School 3086 37 
			 Toddington Primary School 2100 39 
			 Down Ampney Church of England Primary School 3087 39 
			 Longborough Church of England Primary School 3045 40 
			 Redbrook Church of England Primary School 3054 40 
			 Sherborne Church of England Primary School 3067 41 
			 Siddington Church of England Primary School 3089 43 
			 Pauntley Church of England Primary School 3060 46 
			 Clearwell Church of England Primary School 3053 48 
			 Christ Church Church of England Primary School 3314 48 
			 Hillesley Church of England Primary School 3367 48 
			 Southrop Church of England Primary School 3070 49 
			 (1) Excludes dually registered pupils.  Source:  School Census

Primary National Strategy

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  how much has been spent on the Primary National Strategy in each year from 2006 to 2008;
	(2)  how much was spent on the National Literacy Strategy in each year from 1997 to 2006;
	(3)  how much was spent on the National Numeracy Strategy in each year from 1998 to 2006.

Jim Knight: The National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies were introduced in 1998 and 1999 respectively and developed formally into the Primary National Strategy in 2003. From 1998-99 to 2003-04 the Department has allocated 531.2 million to primary schools and local authorities through the Standards Fund to support the National Literacy Strategy and 480.6 million between 1999-2000 to 2003-04 to support the National Numeracy Strategy.
	From 2004-05 to 2008-09 the Department has allocated a further 915.9 million to support the Primary National Strategy.
	The following table shows a breakdown of Standards Fund grants by year since 1998.
	
		
			   million 
			   1998-99  1999-2000  2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09  Total 
			 National Literacy Strategy 62.7 72.8 84.5 102.6 101.2 107.4  531.2 
			 National Numeracy Strategy 0 73.8 95.2 103 101.2 107.4  480.6 
			 Primary National Strategy   (1)131 185 198 206.5 (2)195.4 915.9 
			 (1) Reduced to reflect transfer of 96 million from the NS school targeted Standards Fund grants to the School Development Grant. Schools have freedom to spend the SDG on any purpose to support improvement in teaching and learning, leading to higher standards of attainment for every learner. Schools can draw on the support available from the NS when considering the most effective way of using this grant to meet their targets. (2) Provisional figure. 
		
	
	In addition to these grants the Department also holds a contract for the central delivery of the National Strategies. The contract spend is approximately 80 million annually, of which approximately 7 million specifically is for primary mathematics and 11 million for primary English. There are also a number of other cross-phase programmes which impact on the Primary phase. The contract includes the provision of an education field force to support local authorities and schools, Continuing Professional Development (CPD) materials and training events provided free to schools.

Primary School: Admissions

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many children in Leeds West constituency due to enter their first year of primary school did not have a place by 1 September in each year since 1997.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The Department does not collect data on primary school offers or on the number of unplaced children. Local authorities are under a duty to make sure that every child of compulsory school age has a suitable school place.

Primary Schools: Local Authorities

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what guidelines he has issued to education authorities relating to over-subscribed primary schools.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Admission authorities for schools that have more applications than places available, including primary schools, must apply published oversubscription criteria to determine who has priority for places. When setting and applying their admission arrangements, local authorities, admission authorities and schools must act in accordance with the School Admissions Code, which we issued in 2007. Primary schools must also comply with admissions legislation, including infant class size regulations which, with some exceptions, limit infant classes to 30 pupils to one teacher.
	We have just consulted on further improvements to the admissions framework.

Pupil Exclusions

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what mechanisms he plans to put in place requiring schools to take part in the education of excluded schoolchildren; whether his plans will cover every excluded schoolchild; whether schools will be able to opt out; how many school age children he estimates will still be excluded and not allocated to a school after the programme has been implemented; how the programme will be monitored; who will monitor it; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: Since September 2007, all schools have had a statutory duty to provide suitable, full-time education for pupils who have been given a fixed period exclusion of six days or more. Local authorities have a similar duty in respect of permanently excluded pupils. This requirement applies to all pupils of compulsory school age. In 2006/07, before this requirement came into force, 425,600 pupils were given a fixed period exclusion of which 43,340 were for six days or more. The average length of a fixed period exclusion is 3.2 days.
	We do not collect information on how schools are discharging their duty but we have asked local authorities to appoint a lead officer to monitor education provision for excluded pupils. Also, Ofsted is currently conducting a thematic review of how schools and local authorities are meeting their requirement to provide excluded pupils with suitable, full-time education.

Pupils: Diplomas

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the minimum number of recommended hours a week is that a student taking a  (a) foundation,  (b) higher and  (c) advanced diploma should spend studying (i) mathematics, (ii) English and (iii) science (A) excluding and (B) including applied learning.

Jim Knight: Schools have flexibility in how they deliver their weekly timetable and the hours they allocate to individual subjects. Diploma students studying a foundation or higher diploma at key stage 4 will study mathematics, English and science as part of the core curriculum.
	For an advanced diploma, the level of English, mathematics or science that would be covered would depend upon the line of learning and associated additional and specialist learning (ASL) topics being studied.
	The level of applied learning in each of these areas will be in addition to this and will vary according to the diploma line of learning and the ASL options taken. At least 50 per cent. of the principal learning element of the diploma will be applied learning.

Pupils: Disadvantaged

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many boys on free school meals achieved  (a) five A* to C passes at GCSE,  (b) five A* to C passes at GCSE including mathematics and English,  (c) five A* to C passes at GCSE including mathematics, English and a science and  (d) five A* to C passes at GCSE including mathematics, English, science and a foreign language in each year since 1997.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The proportion of boys eligible for free school meals who achieved,  (a) five A* to C GCSEs (2006 and 2007 only), and  (b) five A* to C GCSEs including mathematics and English (2002 to 2007), can be found in the following statistical first releases. Prior to 2002 pupil level characteristics information was not collected.
	
		
			   Statistical first release  Table number 
			 2007 http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000759/CrosstabsforSFR.xls 17 
			 2006 http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000693/Addition1V1.xls 32 
			 2005 http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000640/Addition2.xls 44 
			 2004 http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000564/Tables_26_30.xls 28 (5AC) 
			 2003 http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000448/table37-40.xls 40a (KS4 5AC) 
			 2002 http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000448/table49-52.xls 52a (KS4 5AC) 
		
	
	Further information can be provided only at a disproportionate cost.

Pupils: Exclusions

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many and what percentage of children in care received  (a) fixed-term and  (b) permanent exclusions in each of the last five years.

Beverley Hughes: The number and percentage of looked after children who were permanently excluded in 2005, 2006 and 2007 can be found in table A of the Outcome Indicators for Children Looked After, Twelve months to 30 September 2007England Statistical First Release accessible via the link:
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000785/index.shtml.
	The number and percentage of looked after children who were permanently excluded in 2003 and 2004 can be found in table A of the Outcome Indicators for Looked-after Children, Twelve months to 30 September 2005England Statistical First Release accessible via the link:
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000651/index.shtml.
	Information on fixed term exclusions is not collected centrally.

Pupils: Greater London

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many children transferred to high schools in each London borough in each of the last 10 years; and how many children resident in each borough transferred to a school in another borough in each year.

Jim Knight: The information requested for 10 years could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	(1) For the first part of the question, the number of children aged 11 at secondary schools in each London local authority can be used as a proxy and the latest information is available as an Excel table (Table 15) of the following Statistical First Release:
	 DCSF: Pupil Characteristics and Class Sizes in Maintained Schools in England: January 2008 (Provisional)
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000786/index.shtml
	 Additional information
	EXCEL (These Excel spreadsheets contain local authority tables of pupils characteristics and class sizes)
	(2) For the second part of the question, the latest information on the movement of children between local authorities is available as Excel tables via the following publications:
	 DCSF: Pupil Characteristics and Class Sizes in Maintained Schools in England: January 2008 (Provisional)
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000786/index.shtml
	 Additional information
	EXCEL (Cross local authority border movement of school pupils resident in England (primary, secondary, and special and sixth form), January 2008 (Provisional))
	 DCSF: School Destinations of Secondary School Pupils Resident in London Boroughs, 2008 (Internet only)
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SBU/b000807/index.shtml
	 Additional information
	EXCEL (These Excel spreadsheets contain tables 9 to 41 from this bulletin (individual local authority tables showing the school destinations of secondary school pupils)).

School Meals: Stroud

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families which primary schools have full kitchen facilities in Stroud constituency; and which other schools in Stroud have facilities for hot meals.

Beverley Hughes: The Department for Children, Schools and Families does not collect this information.

Schools

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families which schools are both  (a) national challenge schools and  (b) extra mile schools, or mentor schools; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The Extra Mile is a small project, launched in July 2008, designed to help schools serving disadvantaged areas raise the attainment and aspirations of their pupils. All schools will trial one or two activities which have been shown to be effective elsewhere, and will be put in touch with a partner school which has experience of those activities. Four Extra Mile schools were below the threshold of 30 per cent. of pupils gaining five plus good GCSEs inc. English and Maths in 2007: Oakmead School, Bournemouth; Portchester School, Bournemouth; St. Hugh's Church of England College, Grantham, Lincolnshire; Witton Park High School, Blackburn with Darwen. Six of the partner schools were in the same situation: Banbury School, Oxfordshire; Newall Green High School, Manchester; Ridgeway School, Wirrall; Park High School, Wirrall; The Wordsley School, Dudley; Sir Henry Cooper School, Kingston upon Hull.
	There is no contradiction between a school being an Extra Mile school or partner school and being below the 30 per cent. threshold. The Government want all schools to achieve a good standard of education for their pupils, which is why we launched the National Challenge to give extra support to schools currently below this threshold. Many of these are improving schools serving very disadvantaged communities, so they are well-placed to share their experiences with schools facing similar challenges. It would be unrealistic to partner an Extra Mile school with a school serving a very different type of community.
	400 million is available to support National Challenge schools over the next three years. This includes 200 million announced in the 2008 budget for National Challenge plus an additional 200 million identified from existing resources. The Government hope that many of these schools will rise above the 30 per cent. floor target when the 2008 results are known.

Schools

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what estimate he has made of the number of  (a) primary and  (b) secondary schools offering the core set of extended services; and if he will make a statement.

Beverley Hughes: As of 30 September 2008, there were over 10,900 (64 per cent.) primary schools and over 2,400 (72 per cent.) secondary schools providing access to the core offer of extended services.
	This shows we are making good progress towards our 2010 target and behind this there are many other schools which are already providing individual parts of the core offer that are not yet included in these figures. Monthly variations can occur, resulting in figures going down as well as up, for example as a result of local school reorganisations.

Schools: Assessments

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  what steps he is taking to ensure that all those who were approved to mark standard assessment test papers in 2008 but who received no scripts to mark will receive the compensation payment of 250 from ETS; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how many markers of national key stage tests in 2008  (a) have received and  (b) are yet to receive compensation payments because they did not receive any scripts; by what date he expects all such markers to have received compensation payments; what the reason is for the time taken to pay compensation; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The National Assessment Agency manages the contract for ETS Europe, which is responsible for all marker contracting and payments for the 2008 test cycle. NAA has confirmed that they have received written assurance from ETS that they will resolve all marker queries or complaints regarding pay as part of the plan for contract closure.

Schools: Assessments

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families by what date he expects the contracts for administration of the 2009 key stage tests to be agreed; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The Qualifications and Curriculum Authority advise that they expect the procurement process for suppliers to administer the 2009 key stage tests to be complete by December 2008.

Schools: Assessments

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what assessment his Department has made of the reliability of the marking of key stage 2 and 3 tests in 2008; on the basis of what information that assessment was made; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: It is the responsibility of the Office of the Qualifications and Examinations Regulator (Ofqual) to advise on the quality of marking in this year's key stage 2 and 3 national curriculum tests. Ofqual have said that on the basis of the evidence they saw, they conclude that the quality of marking is at least as good as in previous years. However, it will not be possible to draw robust conclusions about the quality and reliability of marking until we have received full information from this year's reviews process, which Ofqual is continuing to monitor.

Schools: Assessments

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many requests for marking reviews of  (a) key stage 2 and  (b) key stage 3 tests were received in each year from 2002 to 2007; what proportion of these requests resulted in a change of mark; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: Tables 1 and 2 as follows show how many requests were received, since 2004, for a marking review of Key Stage 2 and Key Stage 3 national curriculum tests, and what proportion of the requests resulted in a level change.
	Data for the period 2001-03 are not available in the format requested.
	The figures in the tables were provided by the National Assessment Agency (NAA), which is responsible for the administration of national curriculum tests including the external marking and group reviews service to schools.
	
		
			  Table 1 
			   Review requested (pupils)  Reviews resulting in a lower level (Pupil)  Reviews resulting in an increase in level (Pupil) 
			  Reviews  2004  2005  2006  2007  2004  2005  2006  2007  2004  2005  2006  200 7 
			  KS2 English 
			 Individual review 11480 15509 7516 5736 50 26 7 8 2441 762 505 185 
			 (Percentage) 0.01 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.38 0.12 0.08 0.03 
			  
			 Group review(1) n/a 4561 9957 3784 124 55 56 60 1209 320 149 49 
			 (Percentage) 0.02 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.19 0.05 0.02 0.0 
			  
			  KS2 Mathematics 
			 Individual review 623 578 755 670 4 3 0 0 239 282 324 286 
			 (Percentage) 0.04 0.04 0.05 0.04 
			  
			 Group review 0 0 67 0 n/a 0 1 0 n/a 0 2 0 
			 (Percentage) n/an/a
			  
			  KS2 Science 
			 Individual review 1129 885 1164 1340 6 2 0 2 634 435 525 555 
			 (Percentage) 0.10 0.07 0.08 0.09 
			  
			 Group review 0 0 27 9 n/a 0 0 0 n/a 0 0 0 
			 (Percentage) n/an/a
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2 
			   Reviews requested (pupils)  Reviews resulting in a lower level (pupil)  Reviews resulting in an increase in level (pupil) 
			  Reviews  2004  2005  2006  200 7  2004  2005  2006  2007  2004  2005  2006  200 7 
			  KS3 English 
			 Individual review 6978 2413 4790 3446 306 18 5 10 3870 1077 775 1521 
			 (Percentage) 0.05 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.60 0.17 0.12 0.23 
			  
			 Group review n/a 20544 75133 25549 2422 581 107 488 10968 2485 1825 3019 
			 (Percentage) 0.37 0.09 0.02 0.08 1.69 0.38 0.28 0.46 
			  
			  KS3 Mathematics 
			 Individual review 479 604 615 536 13 2 0 1 289 403 401 283 
			 (Percentage) 0.000.04 0.06 0.06 0.04 
			  
			 Group review n/a 0 230 0 n/a 0 5 0 n/a 0 11 0 
			 (Percentage) n/a  0.00  n/a  0.00  
			  
			  KS3 Science 
			 Individual review 3086 2298 1976 2651 31 8 5 3 1157 832 779 898 
			 (Percentage) 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.18 0.13 0.12 0.14 
			  
			 Group review n/a 870 426 825 n/a 35 18 15 n/a 61 21 22 
			 (Percentage) n/a 0.01 0.00 0.00 n/a 0.01 0.00 0.00 
			 (1) Group reviews in mathematics and science were not conducted until 2005

Schools: Assessments

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what assessment he has made of the costs and benefits of teacher assessment of key stage 2 and key stage 3 tests, with external moderation; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: No specific assessment has been made of the costs and benefits of externally moderated teacher assessment at key stages 2 and 3. Experience at key stage 1 does however provide information about the costs of external moderation of teacher assessment. The National Assessment Agency has a budget of 92,000 in the financial year 2008-09 to spend on the external moderation of local authorities' own moderation processes for KS1 assessments.

Schools: Compensation

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much in compensation was paid by schools to  (a) pupils and  (b) teachers in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The Department for Children, Schools and Families does not collect this information.

Schools: Ethnic Minorities

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what proportion of  (a) boys and  (b) girls from each ethnic minority group did not achieve any A* to C grades at GCSE in each of the last 10 years.

Jim Knight: Figures for 2006-07 are given in the following table. Information for earlier years can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			  Pupils not achieving any GCSE grades A*-C (or equivalent) by ethnicity and gender in 2006-07 
			Number of pupils not achieving any GCSE grades A*-C (or equivalent)  Percentage of pupils not achieving any GCSE grades A*-C (or equivalent)  Total number of pupils 
			 African Female 962 16.4 5,863 
			  Male 1,371 23.9 5,743 
			 Any other Asian background Female 300 12.5 2,406 
			  Male 654 24.5 2,672 
			 Any other black background Female 222 17.7 1,253 
			  Male 416 29.3 1,421 
			 Any other ethnic group Female 380 15.0 2,532 
			  Male 685 23.5 2,913 
			 Any other mixed background Female 382 14.9 2,566 
			  Male 629 24.6 2,561 
			 Any other white background Female 991 15.1 6,567 
			  Male 1,477 21.6 6,832 
			 Bangladeshi Female 376 13.1 2,878 
			  Male 651 23.2 2,803 
			 Caribbean Female 766 17.9 4,288 
			  Male 1,290 31.8 4,062 
			 Chinese Female 59 5.2 1,134 
			  Male 89 8.0 1,111 
			 Gypsy/Roman Female 129 67.2 192 
			  Male 141 77.9 181 
			 Indian Female 470 7.2 6,559 
			  Male 902 13.2 6,842 
			 Information not obtained Female 597 24.3 2,453 
			  Male 975 31.7 3,076 
			 Irish Female 204 18.3 1,112 
			  Male 255 22.6 1,130 
			 Pakistani Female 1,156 16.6 6,968 
			  Male 2,222 29.2 7,618 
			 Refused Female 559 18.4 3,034 
			  Male 820 26.3 3,119 
			 Traveller of Irish heritage Female 53 69.7 76 
			  Male 61 74.4 82 
			 White and Asian Female 180 12.7 1,419 
			  Male 268 18.6 1,441 
			 White and black African Female 125 18.0 694 
			  Male 165 24.3 680 
			 White and black Caribbean Female 600 20.7 2,897 
			  Male 931 34.1 2,733 
			 White British Female 41,859 17.3 241,854 
			  Male 62,369 25.0 249,913 
			  
			 All students Female 50,370 17.0 296,745 
			  Male 76,371 24.9 306,933 
		
	
	Figures relate to pupils at the end of Key Stage 4 study in maintained schools.

Schools: Finance

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what financial support is available from  (a) central and  (b) local education authority funds for the running of small schools.

Jim Knight: The allocation formula for the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) does not separately allocate money to support small rural schools; it is based on local authorities' spending on schools for 2005-06, which is closely related to the formula for Schools Formula Spending Shares in use that year. That funding formula, which now underlies the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG), included an indicator of sparsity which reflects the Government's recognition of the needs of rural authorities to maintain smaller primary schools on average than other authorities. We calculate that DSG in 2008-09 contains 191 million funding for the extra costs of primary schools which arise due to sparsity of population. It is for local discretion how much of that authorities spend on the increased costs associated with small rural schools and we are aware that some authorities have specific protection for small schools within their local formulae.
	The following table sets out estimated amounts within 2008-09 allocations of DSG, derived from the amounts allocated through the schools FSS formula in 2005-06 on the basis of sparsity, updated appropriately, totalling 191 million for the year.
	
		
			  Authority  Estimated amount for sparsity ( million) 
			 Barking and Dagenham  
			 Barnet  
			 Barnsley 0.30 
			 Bath and North East Somerset 0.50 
			 Bedfordshire 2.55 
			 Bexley  
			 Birmingham  
			 Blackburn with Darwen 0.21 
			 Blackpool  
			 Bolton  
			 Bournemouth  
			 Bracknell Forest 0.08 
			 Bradford 0.50 
			 Brent  
			 Brighton and Hove  
			 Bristol, City of  
			 Bromley 0.06 
			 Buckinghamshire 2.81 
			 Bury  
			 Calderdale 0.56 
			 Cambridgeshire 6.00 
			 Camden  
			 Cheshire 3.53 
			 City of London 0.002 
			 Cornwall 5.32 
			 Coventry  
			 Croydon  
			 Cumbria 6.46 
			 Darlington 0.33 
			 Derby  
			 Derbyshire 4.39 
			 Devon 9.14 
			 Doncaster 1.63 
			 Dorset 3.99 
			 Dudley  
			 Durham 2.64 
			 Ealing  
			 East Riding of Yorkshire 3.81 
			 East Sussex 2.78 
			 Enfield  
			 Essex 6.40 
			 Gateshead 0.12 
			 Gloucestershire 4.21 
			 Greenwich  
			 Hackney  
			 Halton 0.06 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham  
			 Hampshire 6.00 
			 Haringey  
			 Harrow  
			 Hartlepool 0.13 
			 Havering  
			 Herefordshire 2.92 
			 Hertfordshire 2.76 
			 Hillingdon  
			 Hounslow  
			 Isle of Wight 0.92 
			 Islington  
			 Kensington and Chelsea  
			 Kent 5.92 
			 Kingston Upon Hull, City of  
			 Kingston upon Thames  
			 Kirklees 1.04 
			 Knowsley 0.23 
			 Lambeth  
			 Lancashire 4.70 
			 Leeds 0.71 
			 Leicester  
			 Leicestershire 3.53 
			 Lewisham  
			 Lincolnshire 9.54 
			 Liverpool  
			 Luton  
			 Manchester  
			 Medway 0.42 
			 Merton  
			 Middlesbrough  
			 Milton Keynes 0.80 
			 Newcastle upon Tyne  
			 Newham  
			 Norfolk 9.01 
			 North East Lincolnshire 0.38 
			 North Lincolnshire 1.41 
			 North Somerset 0.80 
			 North Tyneside  
			 North Yorkshire 10.33 
			 Northamptonshire 4.23 
			 Northumberland 3.30 
			 Nottingham  
			 Nottinghamshire 3.34 
			 Oldham 0.22 
			 Oxfordshire 4.28 
			 Peterborough 0.50 
			 Plymouth  
			 Poole  
			 Portsmouth  
			 Reading  
			 Redbridge  
			 Redcar and Cleveland 0.39 
			 Richmond upon Thames  
			 Rochdale  
			 Rotherham 0.49 
			 Rutland 0.58 
			 Salford  
			 Sandwell  
			 Sefton  
			 Sheffield 0.33 
			 Shropshire 4.37 
			 Slough  
			 Solihull 0.39 
			 Somerset 5.48 
			 South Gloucestershire 1.17 
			 South Tyneside  
			 Southampton  
			 Southend-on-Sea  
			 Southwark  
			 St. Helens 0.13 
			 Staffordshire 4.11 
			 Stockport  
			 Stockton-on-Tees 0.29 
			 Stoke-on-Trent  
			 Suffolk 6.31 
			 Sunderland  
			 Surrey 2.22 
			 Sutton  
			 Swindon 0.43 
			 Tameside  
			 Telford and Wrekin 0.58 
			 Thurrock 0.21 
			 Torbay  
			 Tower Hamlets  
			 Trafford  
			 Wakefield 0.24 
			 Walsall  
			 Waltham Forest  
			 Wandsworth  
			 Warrington 0.06 
			 Warwickshire 3.45 
			 West Berkshire 1.09 
			 West Sussex 3.02 
			 Westminster  
			 Wigan  
			 Wiltshire 5.92 
			 Windsor and Maidenhead 0.39 
			 Wirral  
			 Wokingham 0.40 
			 Wolverhampton  
			 Worcestershire 2.37 
			 York 0.32

Schools: Finance

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what assessment he has made in trends of school balances.

Jim Knight: Surplus balances totalled 1.7 billion as of 31 March 2007 and early indications from 2008 returns suggest a further increase.
	Local authorities have powers to claw back excessive uncommitted surpluses defined as 5 per cent. of budget for a secondary school and 8 per cent. of budget for a primary or special school. DCSF will continue to monitor balances and unless there is a substantial reduction in total balances, the Government will consider further action to bring the total down.
	It remains important, therefore, that schools and local authorities work to manage the level of revenue balances over the next two years. In formulating any new measure to tackle high balances, the Department will continue to work with its partners including the representatives of head teachers and governors, on the technical issues which concern schools. And we will consult widely with schools and others on a detailed proposition before the measure is implemented.

Schools: Finance

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much and what proportion of the schools budget was not passed from local authorities to schools in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Jim Knight: Local authorities are required to manage their schools budget in line with the School Finance (England) Regulations 2008. All of the schools budget is spent on pupil provision, but some is retained centrally where this is the best way to manage it: the principal areas are funding for provision of the three and four year old free entitlement in private, voluntary and independent nursery providers; funding for statemented pupils with special education needs; funding for Pupil Referral Units and other education outside school; and a contingency distributed to schools during the year against unforeseen circumstances. Nationally 88.6 per cent. of the total schools budget is to be delegated to schools in 08-09. All centrally retained expenditure is discussed with the local schools forum, and the amount retained centrally may not increase year on year faster than the individual schools budget (that delegated directly to schools) without the schools forum's agreement. Section 151 Officers of each local authority are required to sign a certificate stating that they have used the dedicated schools grant for the purposes for which it is assigned.

Schools: Finance

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much his Department plans to spend on e-learning credits in each of the next five years; how much his Department spent on e-learning credits in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: In line with our overarching commitment to devolve responsibility to head teachers and governors, ring-fenced funding for e-Learning Credits (eLCs) came to an end in 2007-08. As the amount of ring-fenced funding was reduced over the last two years, the balance of the annual 100 million for eLCs was absorbed into the Devolved Formula Capital funding that schools receive.

Schools: Genetics

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families whether his Department has issued guidance on the use of biometric technology relating to school children to  (a) schools and  (b) parents.

Jim Knight: Guidance on the use of biometric technology in schools was published on the British Educational Communications and Technology Agency (BECTA) website in July 2007. Responsibility for all matters relating to biometric technology in schools now resides with BECTA.

Schools: Governing Bodies

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many vacancies there are for school governors in  (a) Essex and  (b) Colchester constituency for (i) primary, (ii) junior and (iii) secondary schools, broken down by category of governor.

Jim Knight: The following table, provided by Essex county council, shows the number of governor vacancies in:
	
		
			  (a) Essex 
			  Category of Governor  Primary  Junior  Secondary 
			 Parent 134 54 40 
			 Staff 59 14 20 
			 LEA 50 17 7 
			 Community 98 24 22 
			 Foundation 70 4 10 
			 Partnership 7 2 8 
		
	
	
		
			  (b) Colchester constituency 
			  Category of Governor  Primary  Junior  Secondary 
			 Parent 14 11 3 
			 Staff 5 4 5 
			 LEA 8 3 1 
			 Community 10 4 2 
			 Foundation 14 0 0 
			 Partnership 1 0 1

Schools: Planning

Linda Riordan: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many proposals for new schools have been through the planning process since the introduction of the new Building Bulletin 100: Design for Fire Safety in Schools; and in how many cases the fitting of sprinkler systems has been required following the application of the cost and benefit analysis contained in the bulletin.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The Department does not hold information on how many new schools have been through the planning process or on how many new school buildings have sprinkler systems. Planning applications and decisions on whether or not to install sprinkler systems are dealt with at a local level. It is our presumption that all new schools will have fire sprinklers installed but we do not intend to require this. There may be a few cases where local authorities or other promoters of schools consider that sprinklers are not needed. If so, they will need to be able to demonstrate that such schools are low risk and that sprinklers would not represent good value for money.

Schools: Property

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families whether academy or foundation trusts may  (a) develop,  (b) sublet and  (c) grant licences over their land and buildings.

Jim Knight: The majority of academy buildings are now procured by the local authority (LA) on land owned by the LA. Following completion of the academy buildings and defects liability period, the LA leases the buildings to the Academy Trust for a period of 125 years for a peppercorn rent. The academy has powers, under this standard lease arrangement, to make alterations to the buildings, sublet the property and grant licences over the land. There is a small number of academy buildings which are procured by the LA but built on land owned by a third party (other than the LA). The terms of such lease arrangements are largely as described above but they can vary.
	Those academies that were built early in the programme by the Academy Trust were, in some cases, given the freehold of their land, in which case they can develop, sublet or grant licenses over their land and buildings.

Schools: Property

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families whether  (a) pupils,  (b) parents and  (c) local residents have powers to object to the use or management of land or buildings by an academy or foundation trust.

Jim Knight: Academies generally occupy their land and buildings through a lease from the local authority (LA). Academy trusts are bound by the terms and conditions of that lease to keep the land and buildings in good repair. Any member of the local community who has concerns about the management of land or buildings occupied by an academy can notify the LA. In addition, an academy trust must gain planning permission for any change in use of land, and the local community, including parents and local residents, can make objections through the usual planning consultation process if they disagree with the proposed use.

Schools: Property

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the value is of  (a) land and  (b) buildings owned by academy trusts and foundations; and how much funding has been contributed by academy and foundation school sponsors to the capital costs of these schools.

Jim Knight: The Department does not collect information on the value of academies' land holdings and buildings. Information on the net book value of freehold land and buildings for individual academies open by 2006 is currently available in their statutory accounts.
	There is no central record of the value of land and buildings held by foundation schools, or the foundations of voluntary schools.
	The total of capital sponsorship of academies for which the Department has evidence of payment as at July 2008 is 75.4 million.
	Foundation schools as a category do not have sponsors. If they are also trust schools there is not a sponsorship requirement, and any financial contributions from trust members are on a voluntary basis and neither payment nor use is centrally recorded.

Schools: Standards

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what percentage of pupils obtained five good GCSEs including English and mathematics but excluding equivalents in each year since 1997.

Jim Knight: The information requested is given as follows:
	
		
			   Number of pupils( 1)  Five plus A*-C grades inc. English and mathematics GCSEs 
			  15-year- olds   
			 1996/97(2) 586,766 35.6 
			 1997/98 575,210 37.0 
			 1998/99 580,972 38.6 
			 1999/2000 580,393 40.0 
			 2000/01 603,318 40.7 
			 2001/02 606,554 42.1 
			 2002/03 622,122 41.9 
			 2003/04 643,560 42.2 
			
			  Pupils at End Key Stage 4   
			 2004/05 633,414 44.1 
			 2005/06 645,931 44.7 
			 2006/07 649,159 44.2 
			 (1) Number of pupils on roll aged 15 at the start of the academic year or from 2004/05 end of Key Stage 4 figures are the number of pupils at the end of Key Stage 4 in that academic year. (2) Percentages from 1996/97 include GCSEs and GNVQs.  Notes: 1. Including attempts and achievement in previous academic years. 2. Figures for 2006/07 are revised, all other figures are final.

Schools: Standards

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families which National Challenge schools  (a) have and  (b) have not appointed a National Challenge Adviser; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: National challenge advisers (NCAs) will be appointed by local authorities on 1 November 2008.

Schools: Standards

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many schools have been put into special measures  (a) once,  (b) twice,  (c) three times and  (d) more than three times in the last 10 years.

Jim Knight: This is a matter for Ofsted. Her Majesty's Chief Inspector, Christine Gilbert, will be writing to the MP and a copy will be placed in both Libraries of the House.
	 Letter from Christine Gilbert, dated 13 October 2008:
	Your recent parliamentary question has been passed to me, as Her Majesty's Chief Inspector, for a response.
	Between 1 April 1998 and 1 April 2008,1,694 maintained schools were placed in special measures once and 42 schools were placed in special measures twice.
	In addition, prior to September 2005, there was no statutory limit on the length of time a school could stay in special measures. With the introduction of the current inspection framework in September 2005, there is now a statutory limit of two years. Upon reaching this limit and undergoing a re-inspection, five schools had not been removed from special measures. Although these schools are not included in the 42 schools referred to above, they were judged as requiring special measures for a second time.
	No school was placed in special measures three times, or more than three times, during this period.
	Data for the summer term 2008 have not yet been published and are not included in these figures. These will be included in my Annual Report 2007/08, due to be published in November 2008.
	A copy of this reply has been sent to Jim Knight MP, Minister of State for Schools and Learners, and will be placed in the library of both Houses.

Schools: Standards

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what proportion of white British boys eligible for free school meals did not achieve  (a) any GCSE passes,  (b) at least one GCSE pass at grade C or above,  (c) at least five GCSEs at A*-C and  (d) at least five A*-C GCSEs, including English and mathematics in each year between 2001 and 2008; and if he will make a statement.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The proportion of white British boys eligible for free school meals who failed to achieve  (a) any GCSE passes,  (c) at least five GCSEs at A*-C and  (d) at least five A*-C GCSEs, including English and Mathematics (2006 and 2007 only), in each year between 2002 and 2007 can be found in the following Statistical First Releases. Prior to 2002, pupil level characteristics information was not collected.
	
		
			   Statistical First Release  Table number 
			 2007 http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000759/CrosstabsforSFR.xls 17 
			 2006 http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000693/Addition1V1.xls 32 
			 2005 http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000640/Addition2.xls 44 
			 2004 http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000564/Tables_26_30.xls 28 (5AC) 
			 2003 http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000448/table37-40.xls 40a (KS4 5AC) 
			 2002 http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000448/table49-52.xls 52a (KS4 5AC) 
		
	
	Further information can be provided only at a disproportionate cost.

Schools: Sustainable Development

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families if he will take steps to  (a) require schools to follow more environmentally sustainable practices and  (b) monitor levels of environmental sustainability in schools.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: In May 2006, we published the National Framework for Sustainable schools and set out the ambition that every school becomes a sustainable school by 2020. This is a voluntary framework, rather than a requirement, and covers the broad range of sustainable development matters arising within the curriculum, the campus and the community.
	In addition, the majority of schools will be required to display display energy certificates (DECs) providing information about energy use. Schools will also be included in the carbon reduction commitment, a mandatory emissions trading scheme, and be required to supply information on annual energy use to their local authority as part of the local authority count.

Science: Schools

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what materials his Department prohibits the use of during science lessons in schools.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The DCSF does not specify teaching resources. There is a wide variety of resources available for use in schools and teachers are free to use their professional judgment to select appropriate materials for their science lessons. Any resource should be checked carefully before it is used in the classroom. The Government have issued guidance on materials that are inappropriate for use within science, specifically materials relating to creationism or intelligent design. This guidance is available to schools through teachernet at:
	www.teachernet.gov.uk
	With regard to physical materials, the Consortium of Local Education Authorities for the Provision of Science Services (CLEAPSS) publishes tables of materials which schools can and cannot use in science and suggests appropriate alternatives. Further information can be accessed at the CLEAPSS website at:
	www.cleapss.org.uk

Secondary Education: Standards

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  which 10 local authorities had the highest proportion of secondary schools below the National Challenge target of 30 per cent. of children achieving five or more A* to C GCSEs, including English and mathematics, in  (a) 1996,  (b) 2007 and  (c) 2008; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the reasons for some local authorities to have a large proportion of schools in the National Challenge; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The data requested for 1996 and 2007 are provided in the following table. Validated data for 2008 are not yet available.
	
		
			   Percentage schools 
			  Local authorities with highest proportion of low-attaining schools in 1996  
			 Islington 100 
			 Tower Hamlets 100 
			 Sandwell 95 
			 Newham 93 
			 Barnsley 93 
			 Knowsley 91 
			 Lambeth 90 
			 Hackney 89 
			 Haringey 89 
			 Salford 89 
			   
			  Local authorities with highest proportion of low-attaining schools in 2007  
			 Bristol 63 
			 Sandwell 60 
			 Barnsley 57 
			 Manchester 57 
			 NE Lincolnshire 56 
			 Nottingham 56 
			 Kingston-on-Hull 50 
			 Walsall 50 
			 Knowsley 50 
			 Telford and Wrekin 43 
		
	
	Local authority areas with the highest proportion of secondary schools where fewer than 30 per cent. of pupils attained 5 higher grade GCSEs, including English and mathematics in  (a) 1996  (b) 2007.
	The comparisons between 1996 and 2007 indicate the substantial success of this Government's policies on school improvement. In 1996, over half of all secondary schools failed to reach the Government's benchmark for the National Challenge, while in 2007 that proportion had fallen to one fifth. This is also reflected in the substantially reduced percentages of low-attaining schools in those authorities with the highest proportions of such schools in 2007 compared with 1996.
	The table also illustrates the effectiveness of targeted policies and programmes to improve school standards. In particular, the success of London Challenge is evident, since six of the ten authorities with the highest proportion of low attaining schools in 1996 were in London. In 2007 no London authority features in the list. One of the key principles of the National Challenge is to build more widely on the proven elements of London Challenge.
	The 2007 list of authorities is dominated by those with relatively high levels of social deprivation where the potential barriers to learning outside schools are considerable.
	The Government's policies, set out in the Children's Plan, are designed to remove such barriers, especially in relation to children's well-being and securing personalised support for all pupils. The National Challenge is a crucial element of the Children's Plan, since it will provide bespoke support to individual schools with relatively low attainment.

Special Educational Needs

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what recent changes he has made to the Special Educational Needs and Disability Tribunal Regulations; what further changes he plans; what the reasons are for making these changes; and if he will make a statement.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The Special Educational Needs and Disability Tribunal (SENDIST) transferred from the Department for Children, Schools and families (the then Department for Education and Skills) to the Ministry of Justice (the then Department for Constitutional Affairs) to form part of the Tribunals Service, an executive agency of that Department, with effect from 3 April 2006. Responsibility for the regulations governing SENDIST transferred at that time.
	The Tribunals, Courts and Enforcement Act 2007 contains provisions for existing tribunals, including SENDIST, to be transferred into a new two-tier structure of a First Tier Tribunal and an Upper Tribunal. It is proposed that SENDIST will move into a Health, Education and Social Care Chamber of the First Tier Tribunal. The Tribunals Service has consulted on the rules for the new Chamber. The Tribunals Procedures Committee is responsible for drafting and amending the rules in the light of this consultation. The overriding principle informing the drafting of the rules is that they must be able to deal with all cases justly and fairly.

Teachers: Foreigners

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families for what reason foreign teachers able to teach in academy schools are not permitted to teach in other maintained schools.

Jim Knight: The requirements relating to foreign teacher qualifications are the same for academies and maintained schools.
	Academies' funding agreements require all teachers to be qualified teachers within the meaning of the Education (School Teachers' Qualifications) (England) Regulations 2003.
	The Education (Specified Work and Registration) (England) Regulations 2003 allow overseas trained teachers (OTTs) to teach for four years at maintained schools or academies providing they have successfully completed a teacher training programme in a country outside the EEA and Switzerland which is recognised by the competent authority in that country. They must work towards qualified teacher status (QTS) during this period and OTTs are not allowed to teach beyond four years unless they have been awarded QTS.
	Suitably qualified teachers from within the EEA and Switzerland are considered to have Qualified Teacher Status and so may teach in maintained schools and academies.

Teachers: Gender

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what proportion of teachers in  (a) primary and  (b) secondary schools were male in each year since 1997.

Jim Knight: The proportion of male teachers in each year from 1997 to 2006 can be found in the following table:
	
		
			  Full-time regular qualified teachers in local authority maintained schools by phase and gender. Years: 1997-2006teachers in servicecoverage: England 
			  Percentage 
			   1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005( 1)  2006( 1) 
			  Nursery and primary   
			 Men 17 17 16 16 16 16 16 16 16 16 
			 Women 83 83 84 84 84 84 84 84 84 84 
			 All teachers 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 
			
			  Secondary   
			 Men 48 47 47 46 46 45 45 44 44 43 
			 Women 52 53 53 54 54 55 55 56 56 57 
			 All teachers 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 
			 (1) Provisional estimates. 
		
	
	Figures for 2007 will be published in November 2008. Further information can be found in table D2 of the School Workforce in England (including pupil: teacher ratios and pupil: adult ratios), January 2007 (Revised) Statistical First Release accessible via the link:
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000743/index.shtml.

Teachers: Qualifications

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  how many teachers took a primary  (a) B.Ed or BA and  (b) PGCE with a language specialism in each of the last three years for which figures are available;
	(2)  how many teachers took  (a) a PGCE,  (b) a BEd or BA,  (c) a SCITT and  (d) another teacher training route at primary level with a specialism in (i) Mandarin, (ii) Japanese, (iii) Urdu, (iv) Italian, (v) French, (vi) Spanish and (vii) German in each of the last five years.

Jim Knight: The available information is given in the table and shows recruitment to undergraduate and postgraduate initial teacher training (ITT) courses in primary modern languages for the last five years for which data are available. There are currently no primary ITT courses which specialise in Mandarin; Japanese or Urdu.
	Over the last five years nearly 4,000 trainees in total graduated through ITT courses in primary modern languages. More trainees will be funded for these courses, including a projected 900 in 2008/09.
	The Training and Development Agency for Schools is also piloting this year, in partnership with 10 ITT providers, additional routes to boost the primary work force teaching languages. A projected 3,000 trainees will go through these courses in 2008/09. Of these trainees, about one third are postgraduate trainees and two thirds are undergraduate trainees.
	
		
			  Number of new entrants on primary modern foreign language ITT courses between 2003/04 and 2007/08 
			   Total number of new entrants 
			   PrimaryFrench  PrimaryGerman  PrimaryItalian  PrimarySpanish  PrimaryPortuguese  Primarytotal modern foreign languages 
			  2003/04   
			 Undergraduate 60 10 0 10 0 80 
			 Postgraduate 280 30 0 50 0 360 
			  O f which:   
			 School centred (SCITT) 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Total 330 40 0 60 0 430 
			
			  2004/05   
			 Undergraduate 60 30 0 30 0 130 
			 Postgraduate 290 60 20 60 0 440 
			  O f which:   
			 School centred (SCITT) (1) 0 0 0 0 (1) 
			 Total 360 90 20 100 0 570 
			
			  2005/06   
			 Undergraduate 60 10 0 20 0 90 
			 Postgraduate 320 70 30 140 10 570 
			  of which:   
			 School centred (SCITT) (1) 0 0 0 0 (1) 
			 Total 380 80 30 160 10 650 
			
			  2006/07   
			 Undergraduate 70 20 0 20 0 110 
			 Postgraduate 320 80 40 160 10 600 
			  O f which:   
			 School centred (SCITT) 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Total 390 100 40 180 10 710 
			
			  2007/08( 2)   
			 Undergraduate 90 10 0 30 0 120 
			 Postgraduate 330 80 40 140 0 590 
			  O f which:   
			 School centred (SCITT) 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Total 420 90 40 170 0 710 
			 (1) Less than five. (2) Figures for 2007/08 are provisional and are subject to change.  Notes: 1. Coverage includes universities and other HE institutions, SCITT and OU, but excludes employment based routes. 2. Figures include trainees who are re-sitting all or part of their ITT programme. 3. Figures trainees on courses of one to five year durations. 4. Figures are individually rounded to the nearest 10 and may not sum to total.  Source: TDA ITT Trainee Number Census

Teachers: Qualifications

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many and what percentage of teachers teaching  (a) mathematics,  (b) physics,  (c) chemistry and  (d) biology who were awarded a golden hello in each year since 2000 were still in the teaching profession (i) one, (ii) two, (iii) three, (iv) four and (v) five years after receiving the award.

Jim Knight: The requested information could be produced only at a disproportionate cost.

Teachers: Vetting

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what advice the Department gives to local authorities on whether  (a) head teachers,  (b) teaching staff,  (c) non-teaching school staff and  (d) governors should be checked by the Criminal Records Bureau prior to commencing their duties or subsequent to so doing.

Beverley Hughes: Advice on this issue can be found in paragraphs 4.24, 4.25, and 4.58 of Safeguarding Children and Safer Recruitment in Education which came into effect in January 2007. CRB disclosures for new appointments to head teacher, teaching and non teaching posts should be obtained before staff begin work. If this is not possible they should be obtained as soon as possible after appointment. Such appointments will be conditional upon receipt of a satisfactory CRB disclosure. We do recognise that occasionally there can be problems obtaining disclosures prior to starting work. Head teachers, principals and local authorities therefore have the option to allow people to start work while waiting for a disclosure to be processed. In such cases they need to ensure that the individual is appropriately supervised and that all other checks including a List 99 check have been completed. Disclosures are not required if the person is moving from a similar post in a school, local authority or FE college and there has not been a break in employment of more than three months. Governors are not required to have an enhanced disclosure unless their duties include regular work in the presence of children, or who care for, train, supervise or are in sole charge of children. Governors who do not require a disclosure are asked to sign a declaration confirming their suitability to fulfil their role. Governors will be required to register with the new mandatory work force vetting scheme administered by the Independent Safeguarding Authority.

Teachers: Working Hours

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what estimate he has made of the number of hours per week  (a) teachers and  (b) headteachers spent on administrative functions required by (i) the local education authority, (ii) his Department and (iii) other organisations in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Jim Knight: Estimates of the average number of hours per week spent by teachers and head teachers on individual activities are published by the Office of Manpower Economics (OME). The available information on average time spent on general administrative tasks is shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Average hours spent per week on general administrative support by full-time head teachers and classroom teachers 
			   Primary schools  Secondary schools 
			   Head teacher  Classroom teacher  Head teacher  Classroom teacher 
			 Keeping records on pupil performance (e.g. for National Curriculum school records, examination boards etc) 0.2 0.5 0.1 0.4 
			 Keeping records or department records (excluding those on pupil performance 0.6 0.1 0.1 0.1 
			 Organising resources and premises (e.g. buildings, equipment, books, computers) 0.8 0.8 0.3 0.6 
			 Displaying/mounting pupils' work or information for pupils 0.1 0.6  0.1 
			 Setting up/tidying classroom, lab or other teaching area 0.2 2.0  0.9 
			 Simple clerical activity (e.g. photocopying) 0.2 0.4 0.1 0.4 
			 Other kinds of administrative activities 1.8 0.3 2.5 0.6 
			 Total admin 3.9 4.7 3.0 3.1 
			  
			 Total all working activities 55.2 52.2 59.5 49.9 
			  
			 Percentage of all working activities spent on admin 7 9 5 6 
			  Source: Teachers' Workloads Diary Survey, March 2008 
		
	
	These figures are based upon a sample survey of around 2,000 teachers in England and Wales during a single week in March 2008. The full report was published in August 2008 and can be found on the OME website at:
	http://www.ome.uk.com/review.cfm?body=7

UN Committee on the Rights of the Child

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what steps his Department plans to take in response to the report by the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child published on 3 October 2008.

Beverley Hughes: The UK Government welcome the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child's Concluding Observations. While areas of difference with the Committee remain, we will give the UN Committee's recommendations the careful consideration they deserve.
	Later this year we will report on progress against the commitments in the Children's Plan, published in December 2007, including our ambitions and strategies to tackle many of the issues the UN Committee has highlighted.
	The Department for Children, Schools and Families is keen to work with key stakeholders, including children and young people, in taking forward the UN Committee's recommendations and has initiated a series of discussions on this.

Vocational Training

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many people in each local authority area are enrolled on an entry to employment programme.

Jim Knight: This information is not compiled for individual local authorities. Numbers of people that enrolled on an entry to employment programme in each Learning and Skills Council local office areas, which typically cover a number of local authorities, are given in the following table. This covers the 2007/08 academic year which are the latest data available.
	
		
			   Number 
			 Bracknell Forest, Reading, Slough, West Berkshire, Windsor and Maidenhead, Wokingham 1,196 
			 Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Portsmouth, Southampton 1,634 
			 Kent, Medway 1,736 
			 Buckinghamshire, Milton Keynes, Oxfordshire (1)711 
			 Surrey 111 
			 Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, West Sussex 428 
			 Camden, Islington, Kensington and Chelsea, Lambeth, Southwark, Wandsworth, Westminster 1,758 
			 Barnet, Enfield, Haringey, Waltham Forest 863 
			 Bromley, Croydon, Kingston upon Thames, Merton, Richmond upon Thames, Sutton 893 
			 Barking and Dagenham, Bexley, Greenwich, Hackney, Havering, Lewisham, Newham, Redbridge, Tower Hamlets 1,759 
			 Brent, Ealing, Hammersmith and Fulham, Harrow, Hillingdon, Hounslow 757 
			 Bedfordshire, Luton 620 
			 Cambridgeshire, Peterborough 705 
			 Essex, Southend-on-Sea, Thurrock 1,513 
			 Hertfordshire 630 
			 Norfolk 795 
			 Suffolk 634 
			 Bournemouth, Poole, Dorset 742 
			 Cornwall, Devon, Isles of Scilly, Plymouth, Torbay 1,208 
			 Gloucestershire (1)561 
			 Somerset (1)639 
			 Bath and North East Somerset, Bristol, North Somerset, South Gloucestershire 858 
			 Swindon, Wiltshire 1,140 
			 Birmingham, Solihull 1,760 
			 Dudley, Sandwell, Walsall, Wolverhampton 1,674 
			 Coventry, Warwickshire 1,036 
			 Herefordshire, Worcestershire 713 
			 Shropshire, Telford and The Wrekin 602 
			 Staffordshire, Stoke on Trent 1,188 
			 Derby, Derbyshire 1,531 
			 Leicester, Leicestershire 769 
			 Lincolnshire, Rutland 623 
			 Northamptonshire 744 
			 Nottingham, Nottinghamshire 913 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire, Kingston upon Hull, North East Lincolnshire, North Lincolnshire 1,242 
			 York, North Yorkshire 408 
			 Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham, Sheffield 2,623 
			 Bradford, Calderdale, Kirklees, Leeds, Wakefield 3,398 
			 Cheshire, Warrington 400 
			 Cumbria 1,514 
			 Bolton, Bury, Manchester, Oldham, Rochdale, Salford, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, Wigan 2,889 
			 Halton, Knowsley, Liverpool, Sefton, St. Helens, Wirral 3,392 
			 Blackburn with Darwen, Blackpool, Lancashire 2,085 
			 Durham 849 
			 Northumberland 451 
			 Darlington, Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Redcar and Cleveland, Stockton on Tees 1,469 
			 Gateshead, Newcastle upon Tyne, North Tyneside, South Tyneside, Sunderland 2,174 
			 (1) 2007/08 data are suspected to be flawed; figures given here are for 2006/07.

Young Offenders

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what percentage of people detained in young offenders' institutions  (a) are from care home backgrounds,  (b) are eligible for free school meals and  (c) have been assessed as having special educational needs, broken down by type of special educational need.

Beverley Hughes: The information is as follows:
	 (a) Of the 59,500 young people looked after by local authorities at 31 March 2008, 130 were placed in a young offender institution (YOI) or prison. Data on the number of young people in YOIs who may have been looked after by local authorities earlier in their childhoods are not collected centrally.
	 (b) Data on the number of young people receiving free school meals prior to their entry to a YOI are not collected centrally.
	 (c) Data on the number of young people in YOIs assessed as having special educational needs are not collected centrally. The Learning and Skills Council collects information on the number of referrals of young people in YOIs to Special Educational Needs Coordinators (SENCOs). Returns from August 2007 to July 2008 indicate that 3,320 such referrals were made over the period.

Young People: Unemployment

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Yeovil of 6 October 2008,  Official Report, column 524W, on young people: unemployment, how many and what proportion of individuals in each category have not been in education, employment or training for  (a) up to six months,  (b) between six and 12 months,  (c) between 12 and 24 months and  (d) over 24 months.

Jim Knight: The Department does not hold data to enable it to break down the figures supplied in the response to the hon. Member for Yeovil by length of time spent not in education, employment or training (NEET).

Young People's Learning Agency

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the  (a) set-up and  (b) running costs of the Young People's Learning Agency will be, broken down by function of the Agency.

Jim Knight: This information is not yet available. My officials continue to work with LSC, local government and other stakeholders on the blueprint for the new agency, which we intend to publish further detail on later in the autumn. I am committed to a more learner focused commissioning process that enables local authorities to make informed integrated commissioning decisions to ensure that every young person's needs can be met in the most effective way.

HEALTH

Abortion

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many officials in his Department have responsibility for the checking and monitoring of the notification form required by the Abortion Act 1967 as amended, broken down by pay band; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: There are 13 authorised officials in the Department who, as part of their duties, have direct responsibility for the checking and monitoring of the abortion notification form HSA4; some of whom work full-time on this activity, with the more senior grades undertaking this as part of their overall range of responsibilities.
	
		
			   Number 
			 Administrative officer 3 
			 Executive officer 1 
			 Senior executive officer 2 
			 Grade 7 2 
			 Grade 6 2 
			 Senior civil service level 1 2 
			 Permanent secretary (chief medical officer) 1 
		
	
	I refer the hon. Member to the written answer I gave him on 1 July 2008,  Official Report, column 839W.

Academic Health Science Centres

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what criteria will be applied by academic health science centres to applications for Academic Foundation Trust status;
	(2)  what progress has been made in the establishment of academic health science centres; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: High Quality Care for All, the Government's 10-year vision for the national health service, set out the approach we intend to take to foster Academic Health Science Centres (AHSC) with the concentration of expertise and excellence that enables them to compete internationally.
	We are working to define the criteria for AHSC, and these will cover excellence in patient care and education, and international excellence in biomedical and clinical research across a broad range of subjects, as well as the vision, partnership, strategy and approach to governance of the applicants for AHSC status.
	An international panel of experts is currently being established, and it will assess applicants against the criteria. An open morning for potential applicants is being held on 15 October and further information will be posted on the Department's website as it becomes available at:
	www.ournhs.nhs.uk/ahsc.
	AHSC will bring together partners from the NHS and higher education, and the designation process will be open to both foundation trusts and non-foundation trusts alike. There are no plans to designate Academic Foundation Trusts as part of this process: the status conferred onto successful applicants will be that of AHSC.
	The Government are committed to working with interested parties to assess what could be done to support the development of governance arrangements for AHSCs, including, if necessary, changes to legislation.

Autism: Wirral

Stephen Hesford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the  (a) number of adults with autism in Wirral West constituency and  (b) proportion of those people who are in paid employment.

Phil Hope: Information on the number of adults with autism in Wirral, West and the proportion of those who are in paid employment is not held centrally.

Berkeley Hospital

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made on the re-location of Berkeley hospital to the Cam/Dursley area.

Ben Bradshaw: This information is not held centrally. It is for the local national health service to determine how best to provide services for their local communities. My hon. Friend may wish to contact Jan Stubbings, chief executive of Gloucestershire primary care trust directly, in order for her to deal with the issues raised.

Blood: Finance

Bob Laxton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate his Department has made of the effect on NHS costs of use of pathogen inactivation for blood products.

Dawn Primarolo: Pathogen inactivation is currently carried out for a limited number of blood products, not all of which are centrally procured, and it is not therefore possible to estimate the costs to the NHS. However, the Advisory Committee on the Safety of Blood, Tissues and Organs will be undertaking a comprehensive review of pathogen inactivation for blood products in 2009. This will include a full assessment of the costs of interventions and cost-benefit analysis.

Cancer: Health Services

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to his Department's Cancer Reform Strategy published in December 2007, if he will place in the Library the data from which the graphs on pages  (a) 88,  (b) 120 and  (c) 121 were drawn.

Ann Keen: The data represented in the graph on page 88 of the Cancer Reform Strategy (Proportion of patients in England and Wales in the various age bands who received any active anti-cancer treatment) are set out in the following table. This table has been taken from page 34 (figure 8.4.10) of the National Lung Cancer Audit Report 2006. The table shows any active anti-cancer treatments received by lung cancer patients first seen in 2006 by age groups for all lung cancers, excluding small cell carcinoma.
	
		
			  Any anti-cancer treatment by age groupall lung cancers excluding small cell carcinoma 
			  Age group  Count  Percentage 
			 -54 718 62 
			 55-59 799 61 
			 60-64 1,101 59 
			 65-69 1,329 55 
			 70-74 1,321 50 
			 75-79 1,287 41 
			 80-84 643 28 
			 85+ 181 13 
			
			 Total 7,379 46 
		
	
	The report is available on the NHS Information Centre's website at:
	www.ic.nhs.uk/our-services/improving-patient-care/national-clinical-audit-support-programme-ncasp/audit-reports/lung-cancer.
	A table setting out the data represented in the graph on page 120 of the Cancer Reform Strategy (Spending on cancer in 2006-07 as percentage total of primary care trust (PCT) programme spend) has been placed in the Library. The graph is based on programme budgeting data, collected as part of the annual accounts process. PCT level programme budgeting data are published annually in the form of an interactive Excel spreadsheet on the Department of Health's website at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/en/Managingyourorganisation/Financeandplanning/Programmebudgeting/DH_075743.
	A table setting out the data represented in the bar chart on page 121 of the Cancer Reform Strategy (Estimated cost per head of NICE-approved cancer drugs used in hospitals in January to June 2005, by cancer network) has been placed in the Library. This analysis was carried out by the Department and the calculations are based on information on volumes of NICE-approved cancer drugs dispensed (from IMS Health (an international consulting and data services company) and cancer network data) and the lowest list prices of those drugs.

Care Homes

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what data his Department holds on the latest standard rate for local authority-provided residential care in each local authority area.

Phil Hope: None. Information on the fees negotiated by local authorities with providers of care is not collected centrally.

CJD: Death

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people have died from  (a) sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) and  (b) variant CJD in the last 20 years.

Dawn Primarolo: Information on all Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD) deaths in the United Kingdom collected since the establishment of the National Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease Surveillance Unit in 1990 is in the following table:
	
		
			  CJD in the United Kingdom (by calendar year)data to 6 October 2008 
			  Referrals of suspect CJD  Deaths of definite and probable CJD 
			  Year  Referrals  Year  Sporadic  Iatrogenic  Familial  Gertmann Straussler Scheinker Disease  Variant Creutzfeldt Jakob Disease  Total  d eaths 
			 1990 53 1990 28 5 0 0 0 33 
			 1991 75 1991 32 1 3 0 0 36 
			 1992 96 1992 45 2 5 1 0 53 
			 1993 78 1993 37 4 3 2 0 46 
			 1994 118 1994 53 1 4 3 0 61 
			 1995 87 1995 35 4 2 3 3 47 
			 1996 133 1996 40 4 2 4 10 60 
			 1997 162 1997 60 6 4 1 10 81 
			 1998 154 1998 63 3 3 2 18 89 
			 1999 170 1999 62 6 2 0 15 85 
			 2000 178 2000 50 1 2 1 28 82 
			 2001 179 2001 58 4 4 2 20 88 
			 2002 163 2002 72 0 4 1 17 94 
			 2003 162 2003 79 5 4 2 18 108 
			 2004 114 2004 50 2 4 2 9 67 
			 2005 124 2005 66 4 8 5 5 88 
			 2006 110 2006 68 1 6 3 5 83 
			 2007 115 2007 62 2 7 1 5 77 
			 2008 99 2008 59 4 1 3 1 68 
			  
			 Total referrals 2,370 Total deaths 1,019 59 68 36 164 1,346 
			  Source: National Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease Surveillance Unit http://www.cjd.ed.ac.uk/

Community Care: Disabled

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the Answer of 7 July,  Official Report, column 1137, on disabled people (budgets), what the publication date will be for the evaluation report of the Individual Budgets pilots.

Ben Bradshaw: The evaluation report of the Individual Budgets pilots will be published shortly.

Departmental Telephone Services

Colin Challen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what agencies or units for which his Department is responsible require the public to make telephone calls to them on numbers which charge more than the national call rate; and how much income each such agency has derived from such charges in each of the last three years.

Ben Bradshaw: holding answer 9 October 2008
	The Department's Executive agencies, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency and the NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency have no 0845 or 0870 numbers for use by the public.
	The Department has 24 arms length bodies, including the Executive agencies, and a number of national programmes e.g. NHS Employers. Local national health service organisations and general practitioner practices may have their own telephone numbers for the public. Information about telephone services for the public provided by these bodies is not held centrally and cannot be provided except at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Written Questions

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many and what proportion of written questions for answer on a named day his Department has answered on the due date in the current session of Parliament to date.

Ben Bradshaw: As of 9 October 2008, the Department had answered 830 of 1,205 named day written parliamentary questions on the due date, in the current parliamentary session. This represents 68.9 per cent. answered on time.

Foetal Alcohol Syndrome

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what recent research he has undertaken into foetal alcohol syndrome; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how many babies were born with foetal alcohol syndrome in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: In May 2005 the Department's Policy Research programme commissioned a systematic review, by the National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit (NPEU), of national and international evidence on the effects of alcohol on the developing fetus and child. The review was published on the NPEU website in May 2006 and copies have been placed in the Library.
	Due to difficulties in ascertaining the mother's alcohol intake during pregnancy, babies born with foetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) can often be misdiagnosed with a more general learning disability. It is therefore not possible to provide accurate figures on the number of babies born with FAS.

Health Education: Greater London

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many  (a) health promotion centres and  (b) health promotion resource centres (i) opened and (ii) closed in each London borough in each of the last five years; and how many (A) health promotion centres and (B) health promotion resource centres there were in each borough at the latest date for which figures are available.

Ben Bradshaw: The information requested is not held centrally.

Health: Private Finance Initiative

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the likely effect of the economic situation on the delivery of private finance initiative health projects; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: Once a NHS body has signed a private finance initiative (PFI) contract, the financial terms of the loan raised by the private sector consortium counterparty are set and fixed. The overall cost of the project to the NHS will not change (unless the NHS wants to make a change to its own requirements). PFI contracts deal comprehensively with the possibility of early termination due to contractor default, including through insolvency, in order to protect the public interest.

Hospital Wards: Gender

David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made in phasing out mixed sex wards in NHS hospitals in  (a) Bolton and  (b) England.

Ann Keen: The Department continues to engage strategic health authorities about their plans to deliver a reduction in mixed sex accommodation, thus keeping levels to an absolute minimum, and where possible eliminating it.
	Our guidance to the NHS has always required single sex accommodation rather than single sex wards, (the latter being where a group of patients are treated by the same team, who have the necessary specialist skills). Even within a mixed ward, good single sex accommodation can be achieved by using single rooms or single sex bays and toilet facilities.
	Local plans have been made in the context of the 2008-09 Operating Framework for the NHS in England, which requires primary care trusts (PCTs) to review the current situation in all trusts and agree, publish and implement stretching local plans for improvement in delivering single sex accommodation, with identified timescales and monitoring mechanisms. The framework specifically requires that patient survey results, where available, be used as the monitoring mechanism. Plans in Bolton reflect the national approach to reducing levels of mixed sex accommodation as set out above, and more detail of such action is available from North West Strategic Health Authority.

Hospitals: Finance

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent steps the Government have taken to assist hospitals with financial management.

Ben Bradshaw: The continued development of an effective financial performance framework remains a key priority for the Department. In recent years there have been several initiatives aimed at delivering improvements in financial management in the national health service.
	As part of this new financial performance framework the Department introduced a new working capital loans system in 2006-07. Instead of relying on brokerage as a source of funding or planned support, national health service trusts' working capital requirements must now be financed by loans agreed with the Department and recorded in individual accounts. National health service trusts now have to address financial problems head-on and take steps to ensure that they live within their means. Deficits remain where they occur, and are transparent in the trust's annual accounts.
	The Department has also committed to publishing the financial position of every national health service organisation on a quarterly basis, which has increased the local accountability of national health service organisations due to a greater level scrutiny over their financial performance. As a result this has ensured that all organisations put sufficient focus on their financial performance and that there is greater involvement in meeting the financial objectives from non-finance professionals including clinicians and operational staff.
	In order to assist national health service organisations, since 2007-08 the Department has issued Payment by Results tariffs and the Operating Framework earlier than was the case in previous years. This has given the national health service more time to prepare their financial plans, and as a result these financial plans have proven to be more robust with less variation between the plan, the in year forecasting and the final outturn.
	In addition, the Department collects both year-to-date, and forecast information, on balance sheet, income and expenditure, and cash flow. Key indicators of financial performance are collected on a monthly basis and with strategic health authorities required to work with national health service organisations to provide explanations of any significant variations. In addition the Department also recognises the value of the Audit Commission's independent Auditor's Local Evaluations scores and is heavily involved in the performance management of organisations that do not meet minimum standards.
	This increased local ownership, scrutiny, and clinical engagement within the finance function in the NHS has resulted in fewer national health service organisations recording deficits in their annual accounts. In 2005-06, prior to the introduction of this more transparent financial regime, 33 per cent. national health service organisations recorded a deficit in their annual accounts compared to only 3 per cent. of organisations recording a deficit in their 2007-08 annual accounts.

Hospitals: Finance

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent steps the Government has taken to assist hospitals to reduce debt.

Ben Bradshaw: The Department introduced a new working capital loans system in 2006-07. Instead of relying on brokerage as a source of funding or planned support, trust working capital requirements must now be financed by loans agreed with the Department and recorded in individual accounts. Organisations now have to address financial problems head-on and take steps to ensure that they live within their means. Deficits remain where they occur, and are transparent in final accounts at the year-end.
	National health service trusts who traditionally relied on planned support are now able to focus on the areas that were causing them to overspend and look for ways to address them. Working with the strategic health authorities (SHAs), NHS trusts agree a financial plan at the beginning of the financial year that delivers a surplus, which is at least sufficient to meet any loan repayments the trust has, and thus reducing their overall debt.
	As a result of introducing the new loans system, there were 17 NHS trusts where the financial challenges are such that the Department either could not give a loan because the trust could not afford to meet the repayments, or where a loan was agreed, but the amount could only be repaid over a very extended time scale. Instead these trusts were advanced money as a short-term measure to cover their running costs while a rigorous review was conducted on their finances.
	In the 2007-08 quarter 4 edition of The Quarter, the Department announced that 10 of the original 17 trusts were no longer classified as financially challenged. This was a result of the trusts working extremely hard in conjunction with their SHAs and primary care trusts to improve their underlying financial position. As a result, they are now trading in balance and are able to produce sufficient surpluses going forward to operate as a sustainable organisation, both financially and in the provision of health care. All 10 of these organisations will have repaid their debt within five years.
	This increased local ownership, scrutiny, and clinical engagement within the finance function in the NHS has resulted in fewer national health service organisations recording deficits in their annual accounts. In 2005-06, prior to the introduction of this more transparent financial regime, 33 per cent. national health service organisations recorded a deficit in their annual accounts compared to only 3 per cent. of organisations recording a deficit in their 2007-08 annual accounts.

Industrial Diseases

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the estimated cost was of treating chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in each primary care trust in England in the last period for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Ann Keen: The total expenditure for all obstructive airways disease is just over 537 million for 2006-07 (excluding drug costs). The figure for solely chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is not available centrally.

Industrial Diseases

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the evidential basis is of the estimate that 15 per cent. of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease will also have asthma, as stated in the Quality and Outcomes Framework guidance for the GMS contract for 2008-09; and if he will make a statement.

Ann Keen: Information is not held centrally on the number of people diagnosed with both chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma in each primary care trust in England.
	The Quality and Outcomes Framework Expert Panel estimate that 15 per cent. of patients with COPD also have asthma on the basis of the following evidence:
	asthma exists in up to 10 per cent. of the population and so at least that proportion of COPD patients will have asthma(1);
	asthma is a risk factor for developing COPD so the rate is likely to be higher; and
	unpublished data gathered by the panel based on complete practice review suggests that about 15 per cent. of patients with COPD also have asthma.
	(1) Epidemiology work suffers from variable definition but Pearson M, Ayres JG, Sarno M, Massey D, Price D. Diagnosis of airway obstruction in primary care in the UK: the CADRE (COPD and Asthma Diagnostic/management Reassessment) programme International Journal of COPD 2006; 1: 435-443 found that 21 per cent. of patients with COPD were classified as having asthma as well after nurse completed spirometry and GP review and Bednarek M, Maciejewski J, Wozniak M, Kuca P, Zielinski J. Prevalence, severity and underdiagnosis of COPD in the primary care setting. Thorax. 2008 May;63(5):402-7 found 28 patients out of 155 meeting UK definition of COPD i.e. 18 per cent. and finally a review of COPD by Barnes P Mechanisms in COPD Chest 2000; 117:10s-14s states a overlap of 10 per cent.

Industrial Diseases: Health Services

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the waiting time for pulmonary rehabilitation was in each primary care trust in England in the latest period for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Ann Keen: This information is not available centrally.

Maternity Services

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the 100 largest settled claims awarded under the Clinical Negligence Scheme for Trusts have been; how much was paid in each case; and which claims arose from maternity care.

Ben Bradshaw: The information requested is in the following table:
	
		
			  Settlement date  Damages paid ()( 1)  Total damages ()( 2)  Injury  Speciality 
			 20 September 2002 8,987,903 12,400,000 Cardiac Arrest Obstetrics 
			 2 June 2008 3,078,900 7,582,000 Cerebral Palsy Obstetrics 
			 20 March 2008 2,459,836 6,750,000 Brain Damage Obstetrics 
			 11 May 2006 6,632,844 6,632,844 Cerebral Palsy Obstetrics 
			 24 January 2008 3,088,992 6,630,000 Cerebral Palsy Obstetrics 
			 6 June 2008 2,281,902 6,466,923 Brain Damage Casualty/A  E 
			 7 March 2005 2,392,133 6,248,845 Brain Damage Paediatric Surgery 
			 30 June 2008 2,509,178 6,000,000 Brain Damage Paediatrics 
			 18 April 2008 1,493,470 5,800,000 Cerebral Palsy Paediatrics 
			 20 December 2006 5,799,919 5,799,919 Cerebral Palsy Obstetrics 
			 13 December 2005 5,793,781 5,793,781 Cerebral Palsy Obstetrics 
			 17 September 2008 910,257 5,786,000 Cerebral Palsy Obstetrics 
			 13 February 2007 5,750,000 5,750,000 Cerebral Palsy Obstetrics 
			 19 November 2007 2,257,794 5,750,000 Cerebral Palsy Obstetrics 
			 10 November 2003 5,749,111 5,749,111 Brain Damage General Medicine 
			 19 May 2008 2,171,040 5,700,000 Cerebral Palsy Obstetrics 
			 5 June 2008 1,996,889 5,700,000 Cerebral Palsy Obstetrics 
			 12 December 2003 5,620,290 5,620,290 Cerebral Palsy Obstetrics 
			 2 July 2008 2,130,071 5,600,000 Brain Damage Obstetrics 
			 30 May 2006 5,555,000 5,555,000 Cerebral Palsy Obstetrics 
			 27 June 2007 5,500,000 5,500,000 Cerebral Palsy Obstetrics 
			 11 July 2008 0 5,500,000 Cerebral Palsy Obstetrics 
			 23 July 2007 1,721,186 5,458,372 Stroke Radiology 
			 27 February 2008 2,062,740 5,400,000 Cerebral Palsy Obstetrics 
			 3 June 2003 5,375,148 5,375,148 Cerebral Palsy Obstetrics 
			 26 February 2007 1,174,552 5,260,000 Cerebral Palsy Obstetrics 
			 8 December 2006 1,548,480 5,200,000 Cerebral Palsy Obstetrics 
			 4 December 2007 2,396,362 5,200,000 Cerebral Palsy Community Midwifery 
			 27 February 2008 2,268,812 5,136,328 Cerebral Palsy Obstetrics 
			 16 January 2008 5,007,137 5,008,000 Partial Paralysis General Surgery 
			 9 January 2007 5,000,000 5,000,000 Cerebral Palsy Obstetrics 
			 21 February 2007 4,950,000 4,950,001 Tetraplegia/Quadraplegia Cardio Surgery 
			 2 May 2007 4,850,000 4,850,000 Cerebral Palsy Obstetrics 
			 14 July 2006 4,817,988 4,817,988 Cerebral Palsy Obstetrics 
			 19 July 2005 2,086,510 4,800,000 Cerebral Palsy Obstetrics 
			 24 October 2006 4,750,000 4,750,000 Developmental Delay Obstetrics/Gynaecology 
			 14 May 2004 1,772,327 4,750,000 Cerebral Palsy Obstetrics 
			 31 July 2008 1,714,560 4,713,000 Cerebral Palsy Obstetrics 
			 14 March 2005 2,120,160 4,670,000 Cerebral Palsy Obstetrics 
			 5 February 2008 2,091,657 4,667,159 Tetraplegia/Quadraplegia Paediatrics 
			 14 July 2008 1,245,663 4,639,040 Cerebral Palsy Obstetrics 
			 11 June2008J 2,021,526 4,600,000 Cerebral Palsy Obstetrics 
			 5 March 2007 1,840,081 4,509,148 Cerebral Palsy Obstetrics 
			 3 September 2008 865,881 4,500,000 Cerebral Palsy Obstetrics 
			 15 November 2005 2,033,759 4,500,000 Cerebral Palsy Obstetrics 
			 24 February 2004 2,277,922 4,500,000 Cerebral Pajsy Obstetrics 
			 29 October 2007 1,946,888 4,500,000 Brain Damage Obstetrics 
			 25 March 2002 4,476,511 4,476,511 Brain Damage General Surgery 
			 6 May 2008 1,651,670 4,415,795 Brain Damage Cardiology 
			 31 October 2006 4,400,000 4,400,000 Cerebral Palsy Obstetrics 
			 13 September 2007 1,474,266 4,400,000 Cerebral Palsy Obstetrics 
			 16 November 2006 1,699,993 4,358,000 Brain Damage General Medicine 
			 17 February 2006 3,999,989 4,300,000 Cerebral Palsy Obstetrics 
			 24 September 2004 4,250,000 4,250,000 Cerebral Palsy Obstetrics 
			 10 April 2008 1,903,212 4,246,653 Cerebral Palsy Obstetrics 
			 5 November 2007 4,200,000 4,200,000 Developmental Delay Obstetrics 
			 6 March 2008 1,856,349 4,200,000 Cerebral Palsy Obstetrics 
			 5 May 2005 1,909,369 4,139,000 Cerebral Palsy Obstetrics 
			 3 April 2008 1,818,246 4,135,000 Cerebral Palsy Obstetrics/Gynaecology 
			 17 May 2006 4,108,958 4,108,958 Brain Damage Casualty/A  E 
			 24 September 2008 0 4,100,000 Cerebral Palsy Obstetrics 
			 27 May 2008 1,514,159 4,090,000 Cardiovascular Condition Cardiology 
			 28 July 2008 27,473 4,000,000 Brain Damage Community Midwifery 
			 10 November 2005 4,000,000 4,000,000 Cerebral Palsy Obstetrics 
			 22 May 2006 4,000,000 4,000,000 Cerebral Palsy Obstetrics 
			 15 June 2005 4,000,000 4,000,000 Cerebral Palsy Obstetrics 
			 21 April 2008 2,011,505 4,000,000 Cerebral Palsy Obstetrics 
			 14 September 2005 1,431,311 4,000,000 Cerebral Palsy Obstetrics 
			 17 January 2005 1,590,527 4,000,000 Cerebral Palsy Obstetrics 
			 28 March 2006 1,156,720 3,988,000 Cerebral Palsy Obstetrics 
			 24 May 2007 1,369,799 3,971,000 Cerebral Palsy Obstetrics 
			 23 December 2005 3,960,033 3,960,033 Brain Damage Casualty/A  E 
			 23 November 2004 2,722,867 3,900,000 Cerebral Palsy Obstetrics 
			 22 April 2004 1,485,127 3,900,000 Cerebral Palsy Obstetrics 
			 4 October 2001 2,783,532 3,878,816 Cerebral Palsy Obstetrics 
			 13 February 2004 2,407,029 3,875,000 Cerebral Palsy Obstetrics 
			 14 May 2008 1,043,726 3,850,000 Brain Damage Paediatrics 
			 10 May 2007 1,467,284 3,815,000 Cerebral Palsy Obstetrics 
			 19 December 2006 1,586,719 3,800,000 Cerebral Palsy Obstetrics 
			 3 May 2006 1,063,590 3,740,000 Cerebral Palsy Obstetrics 
			 2 November 2004 3,739,174 3,739,174 Cerebral Palsy Obstetrics 
			 28 October 2003 3,720,107 3,720,107 Cerebral Palsy Obstetrics 
			 14 January 2004 3,700,000 3,700,000 Cerebral Palsy Obstetrics 
			 31 May 2005 833,143 3,700,000 Cerebral Palsy Obstetrics 
			 21 March 2002 3,674,960 3,674,960 Cerebral Palsy Obstetrics 
			 1 November 2006 479,773 3,650,000 Brain Damage Casualty/A  E 
			 16 January 2006 3,011,936 3,636,200 Cerebral Palsy Obstetrics 
			 16 June 2008 1,746,303 3,627,378 Cerebral Palsy Obstetrics 
			 30 November 2004 1,369,184 3,600,000 Brain Damage General Surgery 
			 31 July 2008 1,347,374 3,600,000 Cerebral Palsy Obstetrics 
			 10 May 2007 2,879,494 3,600,000 Meningitis Paediatrics 
			 8 February 2007 1,383,996 3,600,000 Cerebral Palsy Paediatrics 
			 9 February 2006 3,512,906 3,512,906 Brain Damage Obstetrics 
			 12 March 2002 3,506,990 3,506,990 Cerebral Palsy Obstetrics 
			 2 November 2004 1,639,139 3,506,385 Brain Damage Casualty/A  E 
			 2 April 2008 1,373,673 3,503,000 Cerebral Palsy Obstetrics 
			 15 February 2008 1,252,872 3,500,000 Cerebral Palsy Obstetrics 
			 30 May 2006 1,405,000 3,500,000 Brain Damage Neurosurgery 
			 6 March 2008 850,952 3,500,000 Multiple Injuries Casualty/A  E 
			 6 September 2007 1,259,876 3,500,000 Cerebral Palsy Obstetrics 
			 (1) Damages paid shows the amount of damages that has currently been paid against an award. (2) Total damages shows the estimated total to be paid where there are outstanding payments to be made, such as awards under a periodic payment order.  Source: NHS Litigation Authority.

Maternity Services

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many  (a) consultant-led and  (b) midwife-led maternity units there were in each region of England at the latest date for which figures are available.

Ann Keen: The information requested is not collected centrally. However, the Healthcare Commission published this information on their website in January 2008, following their review of national health service maternity services. The following table gives details of the number of consultant led and midwife led maternity units by strategic health authority (SHA).
	
		
			  SHA  Consultant led  Midwife led 
			 East Midlands 11 4 
			 East of England 18 8 
			 London 30 9 
			 North East 12 4 
			 North West 28 7 
			 South Central 13 14 
			 South East Coast 16 3 
			 Southwest 16 19 
			 West Midlands 18 8 
			 Yorkshire and Humber 19 6 
			 Total 181 82

Medical Equipment

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  if he will publish the results of the market surveys associated with his Department's review of the Transforming Community Equipment and Wheelchair Services programme model;
	(2)  what data his Department used to calculate the contamination costs associated with the Transforming Community Equipment and Wheelchair Services programme model.

Phil Hope: holding answer 13 October 2008
	The Transforming Community Equipment and Wheelchair Services (TCEWS) Programme has developed a toolkit to enable local authorities (LAs) and their health partners to calculate the true cost of their decontamination and recycling. The data set covers volumes and values for items handled, staff involved, activities undertaken, transport and other overhead costs. This enables each LA and health partnership to understand what products, in their locality, are economically viable to decontaminate and refurbish.
	With regard to the results of the market survey we have made details available on price benchmarking on the initial tariff on the following website
	www.csed.csip.org.uk
	A separate commercial price benchmarking exercise is being undertaken on behalf of the TCEWS. The results of this exercise will be compared to the initial tariff and a final national tariff will be published later this autumn. In addition, we will be publishing a report on a shadow running evaluation in December or early next year.

Medical Treatments: Radioactive Materials

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the effect on nuclear medicine departments of the shortage of supply of isotopes due to producer unit shut-downs in Europe; and what steps are being taken to encourage the resumption of supply.

Ben Bradshaw: There is currently a global shortage of medical isotopes, including molybdenum (Mo-99)/technetium (Tc-99m), which are used in many routine diagnostic nuclear imaging procedures such as heart imaging, bone scans and some cancer detection procedures. At a national level, the Department maintains a close oversight of the effect the shortage of supply of radio-isotopes is having on clinical procedures. For the duration of the shortage, we have put in place weekly situation reports from all national health service providers. For the most part, supplies are running at about 70 to 90 per cent. of normal and the NHS has made adaptations to optimise patient care. We are in close contact with all suppliers to the United Kingdom market and are monitoring their supply position. Through the European Commission we are working with member states to ensure production and supply issues are being coordinated and that reactors are brought back in to production as soon as practicably possible.

Mentally Ill: Children

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the Answer to the hon. Member for Richmond Park of 22 April 2008,  Official Report, column 1993W, on the mentally ill: children, if he will make it his policy to collect data on the number of children diagnosed with a mental health disorder.

Phil Hope: A survey carried out by Office for National Statistics (ONS) in 2004 on behalf of the Department collected data on the prevalence of mental disorders in children. A further study is under consideration.

NHS Direct: Contracts

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what  (a) the monetary value and  (b) the projected duration is of all contracts most recently awarded to provide services linked to NHS Direct.

Ben Bradshaw: NHS Direct has contracts with:
	The Department to provide core services for the NHS Direct telephone line (0845 4647), NHS Direct Online and NHS Direct Interactive for' digital television(1). The monetary value of this contract is 139,000,000 for 2008-09. The projected duration of this contract is one year from 1 April 2008;
	East of England strategic health authority to provide services for The Appointments Line (choose and book) the monetary value of this contract is 7,300,000 for 2008-09(2). The projected duration of this contract is three years from 1 April 2007; and
	Other parts of the national health service to deliver specific and tailored services locally. We do not hold information on the value or duration of NHS Direct's contracts with other parts of the NHS. This information can be obtained from NHS Direct itself.
	(1) Whilst NHS Direct is delivering the content of the 2008-09 contract for core services, the contract itself is currently being finalised by the Department.
	(2) The value of The Appointments Line contract for 2008-09 is based on projected call volumes.

NHS: Drugs

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what cash savings he expects to be generated in the NHS drugs budget in each of the next three financial years.

Dawn Primarolo: The new Pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme will save an estimated 300 million in both primary and secondary care in England each year over the next few years. In addition, we will continue to prompt greater use of generic medicines and the reduction of medicines wastage.

NHS: Fees and Charges

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health on what date he expects to publish the conclusions of his Department's consultation on top-up payments in the NHS.

Ben Bradshaw: Professor Mike Richards will report to the Secretary of State at the end of October 2008, and findings will be published shortly afterwards.

NHS: Finance

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the financial position of  (a) NHS Brent and  (b) the North West London Hospitals NHS Trust; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: The latest position, as published in the departmental publication 'The Quarter' (August 2008), shows that Brent PCT is forecasting a 12.3 million surplus in the 2008-09 financial year compared to a 1.7 million surplus in 2007-08 and a 25 million deficit in 2006-07. North West London Hospitals NHS Trust is forecasting a break even position for 2008-09, compared to a 1 million surplus in 2007-08 and a break even position in 2006-07. 'The Quarter' has been placed in the Library.
	In addition both of these organisations failed to meet minimum standards in their 'Use of Resources' scores, as published by the Audit Commission in their Auditor's Local Evaluation Scores 2007-08: Summary results for NHS Trusts and Primary Care Trusts, (October 2008). This document has been placed in the Library.
	The Department will be focusing on all organisations who failed to meet these minimum standards to ensure an action plan is in place to address the issues very quickly.

Non-profit Making Associations: Finance

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what areas have received financial help for social enterprise initiatives; and how much has been granted in each case.

Phil Hope: holding answer 13 October 2008
	The following table lists the social enterprises by strategic health authority area, which have received financial assistance from the Department, including the amounts awarded.
	
		
			  Strategic Health Authority (SHA)  Name of social enterprise organisation  Financial award () 
			 North East SHA Delivering Connected Care in Hartlepool 197,905 
			  Developing Partners Project 82,739 
			  Dementia Care Partnership 497,957 
			  Sit n b Fit Ltd 54,000 
			  Large Productions 7,500 
			
			 North West SHA Alston Healthcare 670,500 
			  Salford Health Matters 126,200 
			  Social and Life Skills Agency (SALSA) 10,000 
			  Disability Stockport 481,660 
			  Sure Start Speke Ltd 7,500 
			  Blackpool Tiggers/My Town Tiggers 133,700 
			  X-Pert 6,552 
			
			 Yorkshire and Humber SHA City Healthcare Partnership 134,000 
			  The Open Door 2,315,000 
			  ZEST 75,000 
			  Olive Branch Trust Ltd/CALEB 1,150,000 
			 East Midlands SHA Leicester Homeless Primary Care Service 45,970 
			  Principia Partners in Health 63,000 
			  Centre for Sport and Learning 184,080 
			
			 West Midlands SHA Apnee Sehat 199,568 
			  Health Equality Lifestyle Plan 134,000 
			  Willow Bank CIC 72,700 
			  Walsall Council and Walsall Teaching PCT 15,000 
			  Healthy Hearts Institute 10,000 
			
			 East of England SHA Healthy Living Centre Southend 555,000 
			  Lifestyle Solutions 705,000 
			  Workwise (Suffolk) Ltd 47,000 
			  MAGPAS 60,000 
			
			 London SHA Bromley By Bow 7,000 
			  Service User Led Direct Payments 442,000 
			  The Bridge 95,000 
			  Core Arts 400,000 
			  The City of London Migraine Clinic 140,000 
			  Roundabout 10,000 
			  Secure Healthcare 113,000 
			
			 South East Coast Lorica Learning Disabilities 195,789 
			  Surrey Community Provider Services 185,000 
			  Wellington Square Medical Centre 7,500 
			  ASIST Communities CIC 10,000 
			  Southampton Centre for Independent Living 94,000 
			
			 South Central SHA Milton Keynes Health and Social Care 87,000 
			  SCA Healthcare 823,100 
			  Milton Keynes Christian Foundation 10,000 
			  Luton Women's Aid 48,895 
			  Community Docs for All 62,120 
			  Devon Healthy Living CIC 82,500 
			
			 South West SHA Forest of Dean Health Enterprise Trust 101,500 
			  Aspects and Milestones Trust/Bristol Club House 50,000 
			  Age Concern Wiltshire 7,500 
			  BIBIC 750,000

Non-profit Making Associations: Forest of Dean

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what applications for financial support he has received from  (a) Forest of Dean and  (b) Stroud district councils for the pursuit of social enterprise schemes.

Phil Hope: holding answer 13 October 2008
	 The Forest of Dean Health Care Enterprise applied for funding of 196,000 in round two of the Social Enterprise Investment Fund for 2008-09. Social Enterprise Stroud also made an application of 920,000 for the provision of services within the Stroud district council area.

Primary Care Trusts: Finance

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how much funding South East Essex Primary Care Trust is due to receive in the 2008-09 financial year under his Department's funding formula;
	(2)  how much funding South East Essex Primary Care Trust was supposed to have received under his Department's funding formula in the 2007-08 financial year;
	(3)  how much funding South East Essex Primary Care Trust received in the 2007-08 financial year;
	(4)  how much primary care trusts should have received under the Department's funding formulae for  (a) 2005-06 and  (b) 2006-07;
	(5)  how much was paid to primary care trusts under the distribution mechanisms in  (a) 2005-06 and  (b) 2006-07.

Ben Bradshaw: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Falmouth and Camborne (Julia Goldsworthy) on 28 February 2008,  Official Report, column 1911W.

Primary Care Trusts: Finance

Paul Rowen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much funding was allocated to primary care trusts at the start of the financial year  (a) 2006-07 and  (b) 2007-08; and how much was returned from primary care trusts to strategic health authorities at the end of each of those financial years.

Ben Bradshaw: Details of the revenue allocations to primary care trusts (PCTs) for 2006-07 and 2007-08 are shown in the table.
	Under the financial regime applied to the national health service surpluses are reported in the accounts of the individual organisations that generate them. Consequently, PCTs do not return surpluses to their strategic health authority. Surpluses are not lost to the NHS, but are available to be carried forward for use in future years.
	
		
			  000 
			  PCT  2006-07 allocation  2007-08 allocation 
			 Ashton, Leigh and Wigan PCT 410,731 449,115 
			 Barking and Dagenham PCT 240,688 267,023 
			 Barnet PCT 425,930 460,640 
			 Barnsley PCT 319,935 353,531 
			 Bassetlaw PCT 130,267 144,874 
			 Bath and North East Somerset PCT 206,371 224,569 
			 Bedfordshire PCT 434,053 483,955 
			 Berkshire East Teaching PCT 429,771 467,641 
			 Berkshire West PCT 477,657 521,310 
			 Bexley PCT 258,661 281,904 
			 Birmingham East and North PCT 551,721 606,916 
			 Blackburn with Darwen Teaching PCT 207,706 227,152 
			 Blackpool PCT 213,766 232,537 
			 Bolton PCT 355,301 388,481 
			 Bournemouth and Poole Teaching PCT 418,982 455,410 
			 Bradford and Airedale Teaching PCT 655,461 713,986 
			 Brent Teaching PCT 407,601 440,836 
			 Brighton and Hove City Teaching PCT 349,706 381,965 
			 Bristol Teaching PCT 526,977 571,181 
			 Bromley PCT 373,188 403,632 
			 Buckinghamshire PCT 524,765 573,490 
			 Bury PCT 226,689 247,864 
			 Calderdale PCT 254,621 275,396 
			 Cambridgeshire PCT 622,584 685,883 
			 Camden PCT 368,783 398,848 
			 Central and Eastern Cheshire PCT 522,824 571,132 
			 Central Lancashire PCT 556,430 607,500 
			 City and Hackney Teaching PCT 380,906 416,671 
			 Cornwall and Isles Of Scilly PCT 645,556 710,827 
			 County Durham PCT 711,825 784,201 
			 Coventry Teaching PCT 425,221 469,451 
			 Croydon PCT 424,028 458,633 
			 Cumbria PCT 632,547 689,160 
			 Darlington PCT 136,390 147,509 
			 Derby City PCT 329,454 361,115 
			 Derbyshire County PCT 841,060 922,913 
			 Devon PCT 871,595 956,903 
			 Doncaster PCT 401,609 439,103 
			 Dorset PCT 467,804 512,900 
			 Dudley PCT 373,359 407,037 
			 Ealing PCT 444,899 481,157 
			 East and North Hertfordshire PCT 608,574 667,728 
			 East Lancashire PCT 506,236 553,338 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire PCT 345,739 380,204 
			 East Sussex Downs and Weald PCT 421,307 458,443 
			 Eastern and Coastal Kent Teaching PCT 917,451 1,013,331 
			 Enfield PCT 351,514 384,190 
			 Gateshead PCT 286,689 313,317 
			 Gloucestershire PCT 669,670 731,208 
			 Great Yarmouth and Waveney teaching PCT 286,026 319,752 
			 Greenwich Teaching PCT 344,632 372.379 
			 Halton and St. Helens PCT 434,697 474,176 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham PCT 265,137 286,377 
			 Hampshire PCT 1,404,036 1,531,884 
			 Haringey Teaching PCT 346,339 375,205 
			 Harrow PCT 255,367 276,176 
			 Hartlepool PCT 131,905 144,243 
			 Hastings and Rother PCT 248,194 270,154 
			 Havering PCT 303,017 331,028 
			 Heart of Birmingham Teaching PCT 410,557 454,255 
			 Herefordshire PCT 202,786 226,439 
			 Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale PCT 288,702 316,327 
			 Hillingdon PCT 308,041 333,169 
			 Hounslow PCT 298,309 322,634 
			 Hull Teaching PCT 371,301 401,457 
			 Isle of Wight NHS PCT 185,563 204,994 
			 Islington PCT 336,943 363,928 
			 Kensington and Chelsea PCT 275,175 297,613 
			 Kingston PCT 202,727 219,238 
			 Kirklees PCT 485,093 527,512 
			 Knowsley PCT 243,375 268,697 
			 Lambeth PCT 467,660 505,097 
			 Leeds PCT 952,025 1,032,366 
			 Leicester City Teaching PCT 386,947 424,964 
			 Leicestershire County and Rutland PCT 663,407 730,485 
			 Lewisham PCT 397,785 429,633 
			 Lincolnshire Teaching PCT 829,240 922,602 
			 Liverpool PCT 733,222 803,354 
			 Luton Teaching PCT 223,068 247,703 
			 Manchester PCT 735,995 815,430 
			 Medway Teaching PCT 304,301 340,701 
			 Mid Essex PCT 365,484 405,722 
			 Middlesbrough PCT 208,845 228,340 
			 Milton Keynes PCT 247,043 277,919 
			 Newcastle PCT 386,439 417,413 
			 Newham PCT 415,179 454,046 
			 Norfolk PCT 839,936 932,449 
			 North East Essex PCT 381,624 422,921 
			 North East Lincolnshire PCT 210,372 229,114 
			 North Lancashire PCT 418,760 456,349 
			 North Lincolnshire PCT 190,441 208,972 
			 North Somerset PCT 225,201 251,427 
			 North Staffordshire PCT 255,312 278,040 
			 North Tees PCT 228,058 253,743 
			 North Tyneside PCT 273,205 298,390 
			 North Yorkshire and York PCT 870,019 947,379 
			 Northamptonshire Teaching PCT 730,405 817,249 
			 Northumberland Care Trust 399,055 434,542 
			 Nottingham City PCT 396,017 430,928 
			 Nottinghamshire County Teaching PCT 766,008 839,335 
			 Oldham PCT 304,145 332,588 
			 Oxfordshire PCT 663,385 727,498 
			 Peterborough PCT 200,369 226,047 
			 Plymouth Teaching PCT 320,442 348,433 
			 Portsmouth City Teaching PCT 232,225 253,929 
			 Redbridge PCT 292,512 317,506 
			 Redcar and Cleveland PCT 189,438 206,163 
			 Richmond and Twickenham PCT 224,520 242,789 
			 Rotherham PCT 330,233 361,022 
			 Salford Teaching PCT 346,814 374,615 
			 Sandwell PCT 422,253 461,941 
			 Sefton PCT 389,658 424,393 
			 Sheffield PCT 721,813 783,833 
			 Shropshire County PCT 331,198 363,336 
			 Solihull Care Trust 236,950 259,370 
			 Somerset PCT 598,119 661,858 
			 South Birmingham PCT 467,293 510,764 
			 South East Essex PCT 405,020 441,775 
			 South Gloucestershire PCT 250,189 275,190 
			 South Staffordshire PCT 653,701 716,139 
			 South Tyneside PCT 222,991 243,791 
			 South West Essex Teaching PCT 473,017 525,622 
			 Southampton City PCT 295,218 323,249 
			 Southwark PCT 401,542 433,721 
			 Stockport PCT 349,861 379,343 
			 Stoke on Trent Teaching PCT 360,415 392,763 
			 Suffolk PCT 659,034 726,691 
			 Sunderland Teaching PCT 413,283 449,010 
			 Surrey PCT 1,234,594 1,335,260 
			 Sutton and Merton PCT 459,723 497,211 
			 Swindon PCT 223,813 243,943 
			 Tameside and Glossop PCT 308,593 337,310 
			 Telford and Wrekin PCT 187,621 209,334 
			 Torbay Care Trust 185,688 207,397 
			 Tower Hamlets PCT 360,074 395,521 
			 Trafford PCT 275,442 299,535 
			 Wakefield District PCT 444,548 489,186 
			 Walsall Teaching PCT 342,196 374,066 
			 Waltham Forest PCT 320,806 347,335 
			 Wandsworth PCT 388,415 420,027 
			 Warrington PCT 237,103 259,050 
			 Warwickshire PCT 592,423 652,206 
			 West Cheshire PCT 303,849 332,116 
			 West Essex PCT 313,574 340,399 
			 West Hertfordshire PCT 627,084 679,655 
			 West Kent PCT 740,523 810,316 
			 West Sussex Teaching PCT 952,453 1,034,023 
			 Westminster PCT 367,029 396,902 
			 Wiltshire PCT 490,847 539,616 
			 Wirral PCT 459,538 500,617 
			 Wolverhampton City PCT 326,781 360,656 
			 Worcestershire PCT 617,658 679,281 
			 England 64,309,595 70,354,697

Social Services: Finance

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his policy is on the circumstances in which properties may have to be sold to pay for the residential care costs of people who require such care in cases where relatives are resident in such properties.

Phil Hope: The Government have taken steps to help people avoid having to sell their homes during their lifetime to pay for residential care. Since October 2001, local councils have been able to enter into a deferred payments agreement with people about to enter residential care. This allows people with property, but without income and other assets sufficient to meet their assessed financial contribution to the cost of residential care, to have a legal charge placed on their property to meet any shortfall. The local council then meets the cost of the person's residential care and reclaims the debt from the person's estate when their affairs are wound up. This gives people more options for meeting care home fees and avoids the need for their property to be sold during their lifetime.
	Local authorities (LAs) assess a person's ability to pay charges for residential care using the National Assistance (Assessment of Resources) Regulations 1992 and statutory guidance, entitled the Charges for Residential Accommodation Guide (CRAG). The guidance helps LAs to understand the charging regulations and ensures a consistent approach to charging. Copies of the Regulations and CRAG are available in the Library.
	In assessing a person's contribution towards the cost of their residential care, the value of their property is not always taken into account. It is disregarded where it continues to be occupied by the resident's spouse, partner or another relative who is over 60 or who is incapacitated, a lone parent with a dependent child who is the resident's estranged or divorced partner or a child under 16 whom the resident is liable to maintain.

Surgery: Private Sector

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients were referred from private hospitals to NHS hospitals following complications after operations in each of the last four years; and what the estimated cost was to the NHS of caring for patients who required further treatment following operations at private hospitals in each of the last four years.

Ben Bradshaw: The information requested is not held centrally.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Adam Smith Institute

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many projects the Adam Smith Institute is undertaking for his Department; and how many contracts his Department has awarded to the Institute in the last five years.

Michael Foster: The Department for International Development (DFID) has not awarded any contracts to the Adam Smith Institute in the last five years.
	However, we have issued a number of contracts to Adam Smith International Ltd., which is a separate, self-financing commercial organisation. Details of all centrally-let contracts since January 2005 are published on DFID's website
	www.dfid.gov.uk/procurement.

Departmental Internet

Andrew Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much the  (a) recent redesign and  (b) subsequent maintenance of his Department's website cost.

Douglas Alexander: We are currently reviewing and transforming our web presence. The first phase of the project was to 'refresh' the design of the site in September which included a new home page. It cost 13,600 for the design and build of the new pages. The next phase of the project, to be incorporated next year, will be to develop a fully featured website, new publishing system and robust hosting.
	We do not have a contract to maintain our site. This work is done in house.

Departmental Internet

Andrew Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what records his Department keeps on the  (a) number and  (b) demographics of people using its website.

Douglas Alexander: We currently generate monthly reports on the number of visitors to our site. We do not monitor their demographics.

Departmental Internet

Andrew Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what forecasts his Department has made regarding the number of people using the Discovery Zone section of its website; and how it plans to monitor the usage of this section.

Douglas Alexander: As part of the overall web development project we are testing the site with user groups. We identified a need for more engaging content to serve families and young children. This zone is a first step to meeting their needs. We will continue our user testing with this group to monitor reactions to this part of the site.
	From 16 September 2008 (the date Discovery Zone was launched) to 8 October 2008 there have been 1,348 page views from 993 unique users.

Developing Countries: Climate Change

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent steps the Government have taken to address the effects of climate change on developing countries.

Michael Foster: Lifting people out of poverty decreases vulnerability to climate change, so all of the UK's poverty reduction work has a role in addressing the effect of climate change. The UK is also working to prevent the most serious potential impacts by pushing for an ambitious new global agreement to tackle climate change and helping developing countries prepare for international negotiations.
	Around one third of the UK's 800 million contribution to the World Bank's Climate Investment Funds will support the Pilot Programme for Climate Resilience. This will support a number of countries to address the impacts of climate change through their development plans and budgets. The UK is also one of the largest donors, contributing 20 million, to the UN Special Funds which are focused on helping developing countries adapt to climate change.
	We are also addressing climate impacts through DFID's country programmes. For example, a new 75 million programme will support Bangladesh's efforts to protect its people further from impacts such as rising sea-levels, water-logged land and increased salinity. DFID is already spending 50 million to help improve the livelihoods of 32,000 families in Bangladesh by raising homes above 1 in 100 year flood level.

Developing Countries: Poverty

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent steps the Government have taken to make the UK public aware of the incidence and consequences of poverty globally.

Michael Foster: The Department and its Ministers take every opportunity to raise awareness of issues around global poverty. The Department for International Development (DFID) has had an active programme of building awareness about global poverty issues and their consequences for over 10 years. This programme includes work with schools and the statutory education sector, youth and community groups, the private sector, trade unions and NGOsnon-governmental organisations as well as communicating with the wider UK public.
	The activities are diverse and far reaching, broadly including information dissemination, the development of programmes to build deeper levels of understanding of the issues, as well as creating opportunities for individuals to become actively engaged in development.
	Further information is available on the DFID website:
	http://www.dfid.gov.uk/

Developing Countries: Private Sector

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what criteria are used to select consultants engaged by his Department to advise on projects to take overseas public utilities into private ownership.

Douglas Alexander: The Department for International Development (DFID) provides specialist technical assistance to partner Governments using organisations selected for their particular expertise. Technical assistance contracts have been awarded to many different types of organisation active in development, from NGOs to academic institutions to consultancy firms, and the decision on who to contract is made on a case-by-case basis based on technical and commercial evaluation criteria to ensure development impact and value for money.

Developing Countries: Water Supply

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what his Department's policy is on the private ownership of water services in other countries.

Douglas Alexander: The Department for International Development (DFID) policy is that we respondwhere we canto requests from developing countries for assistance to help improve the efficiency of their water utilities. Usually this involves DFID providing support to public bodies. In some cases, where the developing country government has a policy for participation of the private sector in service delivery, DFID may be asked for support in working out how best this may be done. Often this will take the form of support to improving regulatory frameworks to ensure quality of service and increase access for poor people.

Developing Countries: Water Supply

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many consultancy contracts his Department has awarded in respect of projects to take overseas water utilities into private ownership; and for which countries.

Douglas Alexander: Department for International Development (DFID) support to international private sector participation in the water and sanitation sector has been limited. The last independent review indicated that this amounted to no more than 5 per cent. of the total spend in the water and sanitation sector. Countries where DFID has supported private sector engagement include Ghana, Tanzania, Guyana, Sierra Leone, Uganda and South Africa.
	Details of all centrally-let DFID contracts since January 2005 are available on the DFID website:
	www.dfid.gov.uk/procurement

Development Banks

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what progress his Department has made on developing guidance with the multilateral development banks to screen all development investments for climate risks; and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: The Department for International Development (DFID) is supporting the Asian Development Bank and the Inter American Development Bank to develop a mechanism for assessing the implications of climate change for their new investments in the Asia and Pacific and Latin America regions. We are also working with the World Bank Group which has developed ADAPT (Assessment and Design for Adaptation to Climate Change: A Planning Tool), for screening its programmes and assessing the threats and opportunities arising from climate variability and change. Its scope is being widened to cover the range of relevant sectors and regions. DFID has also been developing climate risk assessment tools for screening its own programmes and sharing lessons from this process with other donors, including the multilateral development banks (MDBs).
	Around one third of the UK's 800 million contribution to the Climate Investment Funds will support the Pilot Programme for Climate Resilience (PPCR). To be implemented by the MDBs, the PPCR will support a number of countries to fully integrate climate resilience into their development plans and budgets. The programme seeks to demonstrate how the MDBs can provide scaled-up support to countries to achieve this integrated approach.

Development Banks

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what progress his Department has made in assisting multilateral development banks to adopt and implement clean energy investment frameworks; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Foster: In each of the relevant multilateral development banks, the executive boards have approved clean energy investment frameworks and associated work plans covering implementation. The UK has committed over 15 million to help the banks undertake analytical work on climate change mitigation and adaptation issues, to study the economics of climate change, and to take forward a number of low carbon growth strategies.
	In July 2008 at the G8 summit in Hokkaido, the development banks submitted a report outlining what they have done, individually and collectively, to make progress on the climate change agenda. The report describes each of the banks' overall strategies and gives examples of specific programmes approved. In it, the banks set out an investment programme of public and private resources of over $100 billion between their financial years 2008-10 under the clean energy investment framework. This includes scaled-up investment in energy access and low carbon projects. They also committed to scaling up adaptation investments.

DFID Alumni Association

Andrew Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much his Department spent on the DFID Alumni Association in each of the last three years, broken down by  (a) staff costs,  (b) website maintenance costs,  (c) the cost of organised events and  (d) other costs.

Douglas Alexander: Staff costs to develop, launch and administer the association (in terms of staff salaries) were approximately 5,000 in 2006-07 and 8,000 in 2007-08. The website maintenance costs are the costs of staff time to administer the website, which are included in the aforementioned salary figures. Other costs have been the cost of the launch of the association, which totalled 733.

Guyana: Overseas Aid

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of Guyana's offer to the UK to conserve rainforest in exchange for sustainable development funds; and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: The UK Government think Guyana's proposal is very interesting and is working with the Guyanese to develop it further. DFID has committed 100,000 towards work to develop a low carbon investment prospectus and implementation plan for Guyana, this will include an assessment of the cost of conserving Guyana's rainforests. In parallel, Guyana has secured funding under the World Bank's Forest Carbon Partnership Fund, to which the UK has contributed 15 million, to prepare a detailed strategy for how they could participate in an international mechanism to reduce emissions from deforestation and degradation. Guyana is also included in the Caribbean Regional Stern Review on the Economics of Climate Change. We will build on the above, as well as on the findings of the Eliasch Review into climate change and the financing of forests, in further discussion.

Overseas Aid

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent steps the Government have taken to improve the transparency of its international aid.

Michael Foster: The 2006 International Development (Reporting and Transparency) Act commits the Department for International Development (DFID) to report annually to Parliament on the effectiveness of both multilateral and bilateral aid in meeting the Millennium Development Goals. The OECD's Development Assistance Committee (DAC) monitors and publishes DFID's performance against the international targets agreed in the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness. The 2008 monitoring survey shows that, three years ahead of the 2010 deadline, we have met or exceeded seven of the 10 targets, and are very close to meeting another. We are on track to meet the remaining two targets by 2010. A recent independent evaluation of the results has been published by the DAC at
	http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/19/9/40888983.pdf.
	Additionally, in September 2008, DFID published the UK Progress Report on Aid Effectiveness, showing that the UK is delivering on its promises to make aid work harder for poor people. This is available on the DFID website
	http://www.dfid.gov.uk/pubs/files/aid-effectiveness.pdf.
	The UK is also working closely with the EU to improve the transparency of aid. At the Third High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness (HLF) in September 2008, donors and partner countries committed to make aid more transparent and the UK launched the International Aid Transparency Initiative. This was endorsed by 13 other donors, including the World Bank, UNDP, EC and Germany. It will enable partner Governments and their citizensthose who ultimately benefit from aidto plan for and make the best use of aid. It will also help citizens hold donors and Governments to account for their promises.

Overseas Aid

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent steps the Government have taken to improve the monitoring of aid given to ensure it is spent as intended.

Michael Foster: The Department for International Development (DFID) provides assurance that:
	The funds were paid to the intended recipient;
	The funds have been used for the purposes agreed;
	The use of the funds has been audited.
	This is a key part of DFID's broader responsibility for ensuring that spending represents value for money.
	Recent steps taken to improve monitoring on aid expenditure include:
	The introduction of ARIES (Activities Reporting Information E-System) has a major impact on DFID's financial accounting activities. ARIES will strengthen reporting controls to ensure that aid spend is properly monitored.
	DFID's internal guidance for staff about the evidence required to ensure that funds have been used for the purposes agreed has been strengthened. Also, a new health check list is available for staff administering existing budget support programmes. This includes points to consider for demonstrating that funds have been spent as intended.
	An updated review plan supported by regular audits by DFID's Internal Audit Department and the National Audit Office, focussing on key areas of aid delivery, has been agreed.

Piracy: Gulf of Aden

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the effects of piracy in the Gulf of Aden on the delivery of humanitarian aid in the region over the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

Douglas Alexander: 2008 has witnessed an increase of pirate attacks in the Gulf of Aden with 44 incidents reported between January and July alone. Attacks are becoming more regular and pirates are venturing further off shore which is interfering with major shipping channels. Humanitarian aid to Somalia was directly affected earlier this year as the United Nations World Food Programme (UN WFP) were unable to find contractors willing to deliver humanitarian relief to Mogadishu. The International Community has since recognised the need to provide naval escorts for WFP ships and no WFP contracted ship has been targeted. Since 18 August, Canadian Navy escorts have assisted in the delivery of 36,360 metric tons of food aid to Mogadishu.

Sudan: Elections

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what support the Government plan to provide to voter education in preparation for the elections and referendum in Sudan.

Ivan Lewis: Voter education will be critical to the success of elections in Sudan. Over 11 million has been put aside to support the elections and referendum, and we expect a significant portion of this to support voter education.
	As the National Elections Commission that will oversee voter education in Sudan is yet to be established, the bulk of proposed UK Government support have not yet been programmed. However, since December 2007, the UK Government have supported an initial programme of broad civic education through the Friedrich Ebert Foundation, an international non-governmental organisation with extensive networks of local partners. We will also provide funding to the UN to launch a programme of preparatory support to the elections process. The UK Government intend to contribute an initial 1.5 million to this programme, which will fund a range of activities related to voter education: supporting information campaigns, training of key actors such as civil society organisations and electoral assistance staff, development of materials and the provision of small grants for local initiatives.

Sudan: Security

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the effect of the security situation in north Darfur on the delivery of humanitarian assistance to refugees in the region.

Ivan Lewis: North Darfur has experienced an upturn in violence between Government and rebel forces since September which has hindered the delivery of humanitarian assistance. The UN World Food Programme report that 134,000 people throughout Darfur did not receive food aid in August due to insecurity. When data becomes available, this number is expected to rise to 450,000 for September, partly as a result of two NGOs temporarily suspending operations in rural areas of North Darfur. Tens of thousands of people are reported to have been displaced by recent military campaigns. Although the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has assessed some new displacements, access is still restricted.
	The UN humanitarian co-ordinator, Ameerah Haq, urged both parties to cease hostilities immediately and requested humanitarian access to the affected areas in North Darfur.

Sudan: Security

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many British humanitarian workers in Darfur have been subject to attacks in the last 12 months; and what proposals are under consideration to improve security for humanitarian workers in the region.

Ivan Lewis: The UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reports that during 2008, 17 humanitarian workers have been threatened, 24 injured, 14 physically or sexually assaulted, 170 abducted and 11 killed. OCHA does not disaggregate these incidents according to nationality.
	Several actions are under way to improve the security of humanitarian workers. In response to the deteriorating security and as a precautionary measure before the announcement of the International Criminal Court's indictment of President Bashir, the UN increased its security posture to phase IV in July. This triggered tighter security procedures and restricts activities to essential humanitarian work. Linked to this, an evacuation plan has been drawn up for all relocatable humanitarian workers in Darfur. The World Food Programme has also negotiated a commitment from the Government for military escorts every 48 hours on major supply routes into Darfur, and we are pressing the Government to honour this.

Tanzania: Water Supply

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development which consultants were involved in the Biwater project to take water services in Tanzania into private ownership; how many of them have received  (a) funding and  (b) contracts from his Department; and what the value of the funding or contracts was in each case.

Douglas Alexander: The privatisation of water services for the city of Dar es Salaam was undertaken by the Government of Tanzania with support from the World Bank and was not therefore directly supported or funded by DFID.
	DFID supported the Government of Tanzania's Parastatal Sector Reform Commission (PSRC) in the divestiture of publicly-owned companies in Tanzania. As part of this support, DFID awarded contracts on behalf of PSRC to the following companies to undertake various pieces of work in the area of water and sanitations:
	
		
			  Date  Contractor  Purpose of work  Total value (000) 
			 2001 Adam Smith International Conducting a water privatisation and regulatory study tour 55 
			 2001 Clifford Chance Provision of legal advice to Dar es Salaam Water and Sewerage Authority (DAWASA) (1)150 
			 1997 John D. Davies Provision of short-term advice on achieving an appropriate private sector participation arrangement for DAWASA 31 
			 November 1997 GIBB East Africa Ltd. Facilitation of a DAWASA workshop on privatisation 16 
			  Total  252 
			 (1) Part of the contract was denominated in US$

Tanzania: Water Supply

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much was paid from the public purse in respect of the Biwater project to take Tanzanian water services into private ownership.

Douglas Alexander: The privatisation of water services for the city of Dar es Salaam was undertaken by the Government of Tanzania with support from the World Bank. The World Bank (along with the European Investment Bank and African Development Bank) provided $160 million for the project. The Department for International Development (DFID) provided 252,000 in technical assistance to the water and sanitation sector as part of an overall programme of support for the divestiture of publicly owned companies in Tanzania. DFID did not fund the transfer of water services into the private sector.

Tanzania: Water Supply

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the outcome against objectives of the Biwater project to take water services in Tanzania into private ownership.

Douglas Alexander: The Government of Tanzania terminated Biwater's contract for failure to deliver. It is clear from this that private sector organisations selected to provide water and sanitation services must have the capacity and skills to deliver these services in a way that meets the expectations of governments and more importantly the people who receive or would like to receive the service. This stresses the need for rigorous assessment by partner governments and donors of potential private sector organisations bidding to deliver water and sanitation services. The Department for International Development (DFID) has ensured that these lessons are taken on and applied by those working on these issues.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Alcoholic Drinks: Licensing

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans he has to review provisions of the Licensing Act 2003 relating to temporary event notices; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: We currently have no plans to review the temporary event notice (TEN) regime. Over 100,000 TENs were given in 2006-s07 and we are not aware of any evidence to suggest widespread problems or issues that cannot be dealt with through the restrictions in the regime or other legislation relating to issues such as crime and noise nuisance. We are, however, looking at how we can improve application processes, including those relating to TENsfor example, by allowing licensing authorities to exercise flexibility over the ten day notice period and ensuring that the notice period for the police occurs on working days.

Architecture: Education

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when he expects the Engaging Places online resource to be operational.

Barbara Follett: I expect the Engaging Places online resource:
	www.engagingplaces.org.uk
	to be operational in January 2009.

Art Works: Exports

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 6 October 2008,  Official Report, columns 21-23W, on art works: exports, what the estimated value of each object referred to in the answer was prior to its sale.

Barbara Follett: holding answer 13 October 2008
	I refer the hon. Gentleman to the published annual reports of the Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art and Objects of Cultural Interest, copies of which are available in the House Library. The case histories for each item considered by the Reviewing Committee detail the fair matching price as agreed by the Committee at each respective hearing.

Art Works: Exports

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 6 October 2008,  Official Report, columns 21-23W, on art works: exports, how much each of the objects referred to in the answer was sold for.

Barbara Follett: holding answer 13 October 2008
	It is not possible to supply the requested information. It is not the role of DCMS or the Reviewing Committee to attempt to monitor sales of cultural objects throughout the world. Nor is it necessarily the case that export abroad of a cultural object always involves a sale.

Buildings At Risk Register

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many buildings were  (a) added to and  (b) removed from the Buildings At Risk Register in each year since 2000.

Andy Burnham: The information requested, as provided by English Heritage, is set out in the table.
	
		
			   Number of buildings removed from Buildings at Risk Register  Number of buildings added to Buildings at Risk Register 
			 2007-08 57 69 
			 2006-07 88 52 
			 2005-06 94 68 
			 2004-05 91 58 
			 2003-04 94 66 
			 2002-03 114 98 
			 2001-02 114 94 
			 2000-01 109 102 
			 1999-2000 108 141

Cultural Heritage

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate  (a) his Department and  (b) English Heritage has made of the cost to heritage attractions of new (i) regulations and (ii) legislation in each of the last three years.

Andy Burnham: holding answer 8 October 2008
	New Government regulation and legislation usually goes through the impact assessment process. Impact assessments are listed in command papers regularly published by the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) each year, which are available in the House Library or from BERR's website:
	http://www.berr.gov.uk/whatwedo/bre/policy/scrutinisingnewregulations/Regulatory%20Reporting/page44948.html
	Impact assessments consider the costs and benefits of proposed new regulation especially for those directly affected. It is usual that key stakeholders across the relevant sectors, which include non-departmental public bodies, are consulted on the identified costs and expected impact in advance of the regulation or legislation being made.

Cultural Heritage: Finance

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 
	(1)  when he expects his Department to complete the evidence base for its sectors in relation to the objective of increasing private giving to cultural and sporting organisations as set out in the Department's Corporate Plan;
	(2)  when he expects his Department to complete the evidence base for its sectors in relation to the objective of increasing private giving to cultural and sporting organisations as set out in his Department's Corporate Plan.

Andy Burnham: Our preliminary assessment of the evidence base in relation to philanthropy was completed in July. It is clear that there are gaps in the data and evidence that we will seek to fill as we continue to develop our policy and promote higher levels of private giving across our sectors.

Cultural Relations

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many enlarged partial agreements his Department made in the financial year 2007-08; and what the  (a) subject and  (b) cost to his Department of each such agreement was.

Andy Burnham: The Department represents UK interests in two enlarged partial agreements of the Council of Europe. These are:
	The European Audiovisual Observatory. Our contribution for financial year 2007-08 was 146,721.20.
	The Enlarged Partial Agreement on Sport (EPAS). Our contribution for financial year 2007-08 was 55,533 .
	Both figures include the costs of currency conversion into Euros.

Culture Online: Expenditure

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much was spent on Culture Online in each year since 2000-01.

Barbara Follett: Expenditure on Culture Online in each year since it was established is set out in the table. Culture Online closed at the end of March 2007.
	
		
			
			 2000-01 640,382 
			 2001-02 1,019236 
			 2002-03 265,379 
			 2003-04 1,439,034 
			 2004-05 3,893,000 
			 2005-06 2,657,000 
			 2006-07 4,205,000 
			 2007-08 72,312

Culture Online: Manpower

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many staff were employed to work on Culture Online in each year since 2002-03; and how many will be employed during 2008-09.

Barbara Follett: The information requested is set out in the table. Figures are not available for 2002-03.
	
		
			  Culture Online staff numbers 
			   Staff 
			 2003-04 11 
			 2004-05 11 
			 2005-06 7 
			 2006-07 3 
			 2007-08 0 
		
	
	Culture Online ceased to be part of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport in March 2007 and therefore does not figure in any future plans for the Department.

Departmental Ceremonies

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much his Department spent on  (a) ceremonial overheads and  (b) ceremonial services in each of the last five years; and if he will break down these costs by subheading.

Andy Burnham: The costs recorded for ceremonial overheads in each financial year were as follows:
	
		
			   Costs () 
			 2003-04 173,000 
			 2004-05 212,000 
			 2005-06 294,000 
			 2006-07 433,000 
			 2007-08 331,000 
		
	
	It is not possible to disaggregate the costs of ceremonial services costs from these figures.

Departmental Land

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether the funds received by his Department as part of the sale of the land to the north of the British Library have yet been allocated; and what plans he has to make use of any unallocated funds.

Andy Burnham: All funds retained by the Department from of the sale of the Land to the North have been fully allocated.

Departmental Legislation

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 
	(1)  what estimate  (a) his Department and  (b) Arts Council England has made of the cost to arts establishments and artists of new (i) regulations and (ii) legislation in each of the last three years;
	(2)  what estimate  (a) his Department and  (b) Sport England has made of the cost to sports clubs of new (i) regulations and (ii) legislation in each of the last three years;
	(3)  what estimate  (a) his Department and  (b) Arts Council England has made of the cost to arts establishments and artists of new (i) regulations and (ii) legislation in each of the last three years;
	(4)  what estimate  (a) his Department and  (b) Sport England has made of the cost to sports clubs of new (i) regulations and (ii) legislation in each of the last three years.

Andy Burnham: New Government regulation and legislation usually goes through the impact assessment process. Impact assessments are listed in command papers regularly published by the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) each year, which are available in the House Library or from BERR's website:
	http://www.berr.gov.uk/whatwedo/bre/policy/scrutinisingnewregulations/Regulatory%20Reporting/page44948.html
	Impact assessments consider the costs and benefits of proposed new regulation especially for those directly affected. It is usual that key stakeholders across the relevant sectors, which include non-departmental public bodies, are consulted on the identified costs and expected impact in advance of the regulation or legislation being made.

Departmental NDPBs

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 17 June 2008,  Official Report, columns 856-58W, on departmental NDPBs, what funding has been agreed with  (a) the Royal Parks Agency and  (b) each of his Department's NDPBs for the period 2008-11.

Barbara Follett: Cash funding for the Royal Parks is as follows:
	
		
			  000 
			   2008-09  2009-10  2010-11 
			 The Royal Parks 18,724 18,424 18,124 
		
	
	Grant in aid funding for NDPBs is as follows:
	
		
			  000 
			   2008-09  2009-10  2010-11 
			 British Museum plus Cultural Diplomacy 50,875 52,028 54,222 
			 Natural History Museum 51,195 51,080 50,321 
			 Imperial War Museum 23,588 24,163 24,752 
			 National Gallery 26,869 27,287 29,222 
			 National Maritime Museum 19,313 18,983 19,415 
			 National Museums Liverpool 22,488 22,965 24,555 
			 National Portrait Gallery 7,693 7,744 7,879 
			 National Museum of Science and Industry 39,158 40,608 41,583 
			 Tate Gallery 46,784 57,663 58,565 
			 Victoria and Albert Museum 44,234 44,761 45,902 
			 Wallace Collection 4,228 4,301 4,377 
			 Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester 4,803 4,987 5,095 
			 Sir John Soane's Museum 1,276 1,181 1,211 
			 Horniman Museum 4,757 4,566 4,679 
			 Geffrye Museum 1,748 1,791 1,836 
			 Royal Armouries 8,264 8,474 8,689 
			 British Library 106,904 109,464 112,094 
			 Public Lending Right 7,432 7,582 7,682 
			 Museums Libraries and Archives Council 13,971 12,971 11,471 
			 Arts Council of England 430,905 445,005 468,505 
			 Sport England 133,163 130,163 128,163 
			 UK Sports Council 50,551 60,551 63,551 
			 Football Licensing Authority 1,321 1,261 1,261 
			 English Heritage 128,858 130,858 135,258 
			 Churches Conservation Trust 3,100 3,100 3,100 
			 Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment 4,690 4,690 4,690 
			 National Heritage Memorial Fund 10,000 10,000 10,000 
			 Royal Household 16,107 16,107 16,107 
			 Visit Britain 47,900 45,400 40,900 
			 UK Film Council 37,464 42,134 36,521 
			 Welsh Fourth Channel (S4C) 98,112 100,042 102,655 
			 The Gambling Commission 500 500 500 
			 Olympic Delivery Authority 1,118,000 1,014,000 1,044,300

Departmental NDPBs

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 17 June 2008,  Official Report, columns 856-58W, on departmental NDPBs, on which date  (a) the Royal Parks Agency and  (b) each of his Department's NDPBs finalised its most recent funding agreement with his Department.

Andy Burnham: The information requested is in the following table. The Royal Parks Agency is an Executive Agency and does not have a Funding Agreement with the Department.
	
		
			  Name of NDPB  Date funding agreement finalised (2008) 
			 British Library 15 May 
			 British Museum 6 June 
			 Culture East Midlands 3 June 
			 Culture North East 29 May 
			 Culture North West 22 May 
			 Culture South East 2 July 
			 Culture South West 27 May 
			 Culture West Midlands 22 June 
			 Football Licensing Authority May(1) 
			 Gambling Commission 14 April 
			 Geffrye Museum 17 June 
			 Horniman Museum 9 June 
			 Imperial War Museum 5 June 
			 Living East 3 June 
			 Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester 6 June 
			 Museums, Libraries and Archives Council 14 May 
			 National Gallery 3 July 
			 National Maritime Museum 12 June 
			 National Museum of Science and Industry 28 July 
			 National Museums Liverpool 17 June 
			 National Portrait Gallery 3 July 
			 Natural History Museum 17 June 
			 Public Lending Right 9 April 
			 Royal Armouries 11 June 
			 Sir John Soane's Museum 9 June 
			 Tate 3 July 
			 UK Film Council 1 April 
			 UK Sport 24 June 
			 Victoria and Albert Museum 6 June 
			 Visit Britain 12 June 
			 Wallace Collection 24 July 
			 Yorkshire Culture 28 May 
			 (1) Date not known

Departmental NDPBs

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what additional funding  (a) Sport England,  (b) Arts Council England,  (c) the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council and  (d) English Heritage will receive in relation to the new regional responsibilities announced by his Department on 2 July 2008.

Andy Burnham: My Department has allocated 400,000 to these bodies in 2009-10, and a further 200,000 in 2010-11.

Departmental NDPBs

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate  (a) Sport England,  (b) Arts Council England,  (c) the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council and  (d) English Heritage have made of the cost of implementing the new regional responsibilities announced by his Department on 2 July 2008.

Andy Burnham: These bodies are currently developing the new regional arrangements and we do not yet have an estimate of their costs.

Departmental NDPBs

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when he expects each of the new regional culture and sport alliances announced by his Department on 2 July 2008 to come into operation; and when he expects each of the new non-departmental public body alliances to meet for the first time.

Andy Burnham: Regional partners are currently working on plans for the new regional arrangements which will come into effect by 31 March 2009 at the latest. The chief executives of the four NDPBs leading the new arrangements (Arts Council England, Museums, Libraries and Archives, English Heritage and Sport England) met for the first time on 28 July, and subsequently on 29 September, to review the plans and agree a way forward.

Departmental Property

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent valuation has been made of the property portfolios of  (a) his Department,  (b) the Royal Parks,  (c) English Heritage and  (d) Arts Council England.

Barbara Follett: The information is as follows.
	 DCMS
	As of 31 March 2008, the net book value of the land and buildings on the core departmental estate was 8.46 million. Freehold land is restated to current value every five years using professional valuations in accordance with FRS15. This was last valued professionally as at 31 March 2006 at 140,000. The remainder of the net book value is leasehold improvements stated at cost.
	 Royal Parks
	The legal title of buildings within the Royal Parks remains with the Sovereign, but they are treated as being owned by the Royal Parks and are listed in their accounts as fixed assets. The value of lodges within the parks, which are used as dwellings, is based on their terms of occupation or on their replacement cost if this is lower. The buildings are subject to revaluation under a five-year rolling programme.
	During financial year 2007-08, 20 per cent. of the properties within the Royal Parks estate were subject to physical revaluation, in accordance with the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors Appraisal and Valuation Manual. At the same time, dwellings were revalued on the basis of actual rent receivable. The result was a net book value of 45.53 million.
	 English Heritage
	All land and buildings held on the balance sheet are subject to a full professional valuation every five years. A full revaluation was undertaken as at 31 March 2006 by professionally qualified internal valuers and external valuers in accordance with Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors guidance. Interim valuations are carried out only where a material change in value is suspected. An interim valuation was completed during the year ended 31 March 2008. The net book value as at 31 March 2008 was 52.59 million.
	 Arts Council England
	As of 31 March 2008, the net book value of the Arts Council England property portfolio (both freehold and leasehold) was 7.70 million. This includes one freehold property that was professionally valued in 31 March 2005 in accordance with Art Council accounting procedures giving an open market value of 600,000. The remainder of the net book value relates to leasehold and freehold improvements.

Departmental Public Relations

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies spent on each of the external public relations and marketing companies included in the Central Office of Information's Public Relations Framework in each of the last 36 months.

Andy Burnham: The Department has spent the following on external public relations and marketing companies included in COI's PR Framework in the last 36 months:
	
		
			   Company   
			 2006-07 Harrison Cowley 84,600 
			 2008 Edelman 87,300 
		
	
	The Royal Parks Agency has spent 23,611 with Barkers over the past 36 months.

Departmental Publications

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when he expects his Department to publish its  (a) Gambling Study,  (b) Scoping Survey of Culture and Sport in the UK,  (c) Tourism Productivity Survey,  (d) report on World Heritage Status and  (e) report on Drivers of Tourism Demand.

Andy Burnham: The exact date of publication for these documents is still to be confirmed but the Department is committed to releasing them shortly.

Digital Broadcasting

Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions he has had with Digital UK on ensuring that work on transmitters and the effect it has on television reception is publicised; and if he will make a statement.

Andy Burnham: I have had no specific discussions with Digital UK or Ofcom on this issue. However, broadcasters (through Ofcom's code of practice on transition issues) are required to take the necessary steps to keep any potential disruption to viewers to a minimum during the transmitter upgrade programme for digital switchover. Where disruption is unavoidable, broadcasters are required to provide viewers with information about the likely extent of temporary disruption.

Digital Broadcasting

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what progress has been made on digital switchover; and if he will make a statement.

Andy Burnham: Digital switchover is on course, The first full region to switch will be Border, starting with the Selkirk transmitter and its 11 relays, where the process begins on 6 November.
	Ofcom's digital television update for the second quarter of 2008 showed that digital TV was in 87.9 per cent. of UK households. In addition, for the same quarter the Ofcom/Digital UK tracker indicated that 89 per cent. of UK households were aware of digital switchover. A successful switch was completed in Copeland almost a year ago.

English Heritage

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many visits there were to English Heritage properties in each year since 1997.

Barbara Follett: The information requested is outlined in the following table and has been provided by English Heritage. The table relates to visits to staffed properties. In addition to these figures, English Heritage estimates that between 5 million and 6 million visits take place a year to its un-staffed sites.
	
		
			   Number of visits to staffed English Heritage properties (million) 
			 2007-08 5.3 
			 2006-07 5.3 
			 2005-06 4.7 
			 2004-05 5.3 
			 2003-04 5.5 
			 2002-03 5.5 
			 2001-02 5.4 
			 2000-01 5.7 
			 1999-00 6.0 
			 1998-99 5.9 
			 1997-98 5.9

English Heritage

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport which meetings  (a) he and  (b) other Ministers in his Department have had with representatives of English Heritage in the last 12 months.

Barbara Follett: The information requested is set out in the following tables.
	
		
			  Secretary of State 
			  Date  English Heritage representatives  Purpose 
			  2007   
			 15 October Simon Thurley Meeting Minister for the Arts and the Secretary of State (JP) 
			 16 October Simon Thurley Meeting (JP) 
			
			  2008   
			 21 January Chairman Meeting (JP) 
			 11 March Chairman Meeting new Secretary of State (AB) 
			 14 March Simon Thurley, Henry Owen-John and Adam Menuge Visit to Liverpool at EH's invitation (AB) 
			 JP = James Purnell AB = Andy Burnham 
		
	
	
		
			  Minster for the Arts 
			  Date  English Heritage representatives  Purpose 
			  2007   
			 8 October Simon Thurley and Peter Beacham Meeting 
			 15 October Simon Thurley Meeting Minister for the Arts and the Secretary of State 
			 15 October Simon Thurley Meetingseparate from above 
			 21 November Simon Thurley Meeting about Stonehenge 
			 5 December Chairman and Commissioners Christmas lunch 
			 10 December Chairman Stonehenge Project Board 
			
			  2008   
			 26 February Peter Beacham Meeting DCMS to discuss 20(th) century listing 
			 11 March Simon Thurley and Chairman Meeting new Secretary of State 
			 17 March Visitor operations staff Meeting to see activities in the Furness area 
			 18 March Simon Thurley Meeting 
			 24 April Simon Thurley Meeting 
			 30 April Chairman Meeting 
			 21 May Simon Thurley Meeting 
			 6 June Gemma Abercrombie and Emily Gee Visit to Robin Hood Gardens site and meeting 
			 11 June Chairman Meeting 
			 1 July Simon Thurley Meeting 
			 15 July Chairman Stonehenge consultation launch

English Heritage: Educational Visits

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what target was set by English Heritage for providing free education visits in each of the last five years.

Barbara Follett: The information requested, as provided by English Heritage, is set out in the following table.
	
		
			   Target 
			 2007-08 593,200 
			 2006-07 564,800 
			 2005-06 536,400 
			 2004-05 507,000 
			 2003-04 413,000 
		
	
	English Heritage agreed the targets for the number of free education visits to its sites with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. The targets are set out in English Heritage's funding agreements. English Heritage made a commitment to achieving 650,000 free educational visits by 2010 in its five-year strategy, Making the Past Part of Our Future, published in 2005.

English Heritage: Energy Performance Certificates

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many properties managed by English Heritage are required to display an energy certificate; and how many did so at the latest date for which figures are available.

Barbara Follett: Following a comprehensive survey of its estate, English Heritage currently estimates that there are approximately 15 properties that require an energy certificate. It has put a programme in place to ensure they are all completed. To date, one property is displaying its certificate and a second is nearing completion. English Heritage estimates that the programme will be completed by December.

English Heritage: Expenditure

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much English Heritage spent on acquiring historic artefacts in each of the last five years.

Barbara Follett: The information requested, as provided by English Heritage, is set out in the table.
	
		
			  Amount spent by English Heritage on acquiring historic artefacts 
			
			 2007-08 512,000 
			 2006-07 116,000 
			 2005-06 82,000 
			 2004-05 115,000 
			 2003-04 153,000

English Heritage: Surveys

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps English Heritage has taken in response to the findings in its most recent annual staff survey.

Barbara Follett: Information from English Heritage is that it undertook a full staff survey during spring 2007. It had already begun work on a reward, recognition and retention strategy and the survey findings informed its development. An action plan was prepared and key steps taken so far include:
	the creation of pay proposals to deal with pay anomalies, to make English Heritage more flexible as an organisation and to align it more clearly with the external market; and
	the creation of a new management development programme to provide flexible training for all English Heritage managers.

Invest to Save Budget

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much his Department's non-departmental public bodies received from Invest to Save budgets in each of the last three years.

Andy Burnham: The following table shows how much the Department's non-departmental public bodies received from Invest to Save Budgets in the last three years.
	
		
			  Invest to save project 
			  Round 8   
			 2005-06 0 
			 2006-07 3,436,000 
			 2007-08 1,102,700

Listed Buildings

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many recommendations for listing of properties were passed to his Department by English Heritage in each of the last five years; and how many such buildings were listed as a result.

Barbara Follett: holding answer 9 October 2008
	The information requested is set out in the table. It should be noted that not all recommendations made will receive a decision within the same year. The figures shown for the numbers of buildings listed in each year will include some cases recommended by English Heritage within that same year and some cases recommended within previous years. In addition, since 2005, a small number of listings may have resulted from a review of an earlier decision.
	
		
			   Number of English Heritage recommendations for listing  Number of buildings listed 
			 2003-04 729 483 
			 2004-05 491 536 
			 2005-06 425 379 
			 2006-07 353 399 
			 2007-08 564 477

National Lottery

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much of the funding provided to his Department for its joint research budget by each of its non-departmental public bodies comes from National Lottery income.

Andy Burnham: The total contribution of NDPB, national lottery-sourced funding to the Joint Research Budget is 19,800 per annum, or 6.6 per cent. of the NDPB contribution. This comes entirely from Sport England.
	The Joint Research Budget is jointly owned by DCMS and the contributing NDPBs and covers research into public participation in cultural and sporting activities supported both by Exchequer and lottery funding.

Overseas Visitors

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many overseas visitors arrived in the UK in each quarter since 2005.

Barbara Follett: The table shows the number of overseas visits to the UK since 2005 by quarter. Figures for 2007 and 2008 are provisional.
	
		
			  Visits to the UK by overseas residents 
			   Quarter  Visits( 1)  ( T housand) 
			 2005 Q1 6,172 
			  Q2 7,868 
			  Q3 8,858 
			  Q4 7,072 
			 2006 Q1 6,351 
			  Q2 8,476 
			  Q3 10,296 
			  Q4 7,591 
			 2007(2) Q1 6,873 
			  Q2 8,693 
			  Q3 9,584 
			  Q4 7,407 
			 2008(2) Q1 7,193 
			 (1) Not seasonally adjusted. (2) Provisional figures.  Source: International Passenger Survey - ONS

Religious Buildings: Finance

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much  (a) English Heritage and  (b) the Heritage Lottery Fund provided to places of worship in each of the last five years.

Barbara Follett: The information requested, as provided by English Heritage and the Heritage Lottery Fund, is set out in the following table.
	
		
			  Funding provided to places of worship 
			   
			   English Heritage  
			   Repair grants for places of worship  Repair grants for cathedrals  Heritage Lottery Fund 
			 2003-04 8,760,769 2,691,000 48,817,073 
			 2004-05 6,699,659 997,000 20,626,540 
			 2005-06 6,536,237 999,000 21,676,817 
			 2006-07 6,705,447 816,000 26,831,108 
			 2007-08 6,750,402 1,292,500 41,901,444

Religious Buildings: Finance

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what funding his Department has made available to  (a) the established church and  (b) non-established churches for the repair of (i) buildings and (ii) listed buildings in their ownership.

Barbara Follett: English Heritage has two main grant schemes for the benefit of places of worship in use. The repair grants for places of worship in England (RGPOW) is operated in partnership with the Heritage Lottery Fund. Offers are specifically for urgent repairs to listed places of worship.
	
		
			   Church of England ()  Number of offers  Other faiths and denominations ()  Number of offers 
			 2003-04 24,018,002 281 2,147,000 23 
			 2004-05 18,388,801 216 3,244,000 35 
			 2005-06 19,118,821 194 2,370,000 20 
			 2006-07 19,726,001 211 2,293,001 20 
			 2007-08 20,344,355 223 1,878,000 12 
			 Total 101,595,980 1125 11,932,001 110 
		
	
	Offers to the non-established church were made to Christian congregations other than those of the Church of England (Roman Catholic, Baptist, URC, Methodist, etc) and include nine offers totalling 1,003,000 to congregations of other faiths one Buddhist, seven Jewish and one Sikh.
	English Heritage also operates a grant scheme for Church of England and Roman Catholic cathedrals (cathedrals of other denominations are eligible under the RGPOW scheme). Eligible cathedrals must be either listed or within a conservation area. In addition to repairs, grants can be offered towards: archaeological surveys, fire detection systems, improved access for maintenance, metric surveys, access audits, archive conservation and conservation plans. Since 2006-07, the scheme has been jointly funded by English Heritage and the Wolfson Foundation.
	
		
			   
			   Church of England cathedrals  Roman Catholic cathedrals 
			 2003-04 2,674,000 17,000 
			 2004-05 890,000 107,000 
			 2005-06 929,000 70,000 
			 2006-07 770,000 46,000 
			 2007-08 1,107,500 185,000 
			 Total 6,370,500 425,000

Sport England: Public Appointments

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when he expects to appoint a new Chair of Sport England; whether the remit and responsibilities associated with the post will differ from those of the former Chair; and what remuneration the new Chair will receive.

Andy Burnham: holding answer 6 October 2008
	I expect to appoint a new chair of Sport England early in the new year and the post will be re-advertised shortly.
	The new chair will be responsible for delivering the new Sport England strategy, which focuses on ensuring that a substantial and growing number of people from across the community play sport, and that talented people from all backgrounds are identified early, nurtured and have the opportunity to progress to the elite level. The strategy will deliver one million more people doing sport by 2012-13. The remuneration for the chair will be in the region of 45,000 a year.

Sports: Finance

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what analysis he has made of the elite sports which field teams to represent England at international level and receive no funds from UK Sport; and what estimate he has made of the number of people who are actively involved in each sport.

Andy Burnham: UK Sport's mission is to lead sport in the UK to world class success, primarily by working with partner sporting organisations to deliver medals at the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
	A number of sports field teams to represent England in international competitions and do not receive funding from UK Sport. These include professional sports such as football, cricket, rugby union and rugby league; Commonwealth Games sports such as bowls, netball, squash and ten pin bowling, and other sports such as lacrosse and angling.
	The number of people who are actively involved in sports is measured through DCMS's Taking Part survey and Sport England's Active People survey.

Statues

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what statues his Department is responsible for; what the cost of maintenance of these statues was in 2007-08; and what valuation has been made of the statues.

Barbara Follett: The Secretary of State has responsibilities for the approval of new statues within London, but the Department for Culture, Media and Sport is not responsible for the upkeep of any public statues. The Royal Parks has responsibility for a large number of structures within its estate. These include the following statues:
	Abraham Lincoln
	George Canning
	General Wolfe
	William IV
	Eagle Squadron Memorial
	FDR Roosevelt
	Achilles
	Boy and Dolphin
	Diana the Huntress
	Epstein Statue (Pan) (Family of Man)
	Four Winds Fountain (Joy of Life)
	Household Cavalry Memorial
	Little Nell
	Albert Memorial
	Jenner Statue
	Peter Pan
	Physical Energy
	Queen Victoria (St. James's Park)
	Two Baby Bears
	Constance Fountain
	George V
	Bronze Eagle
	Goetze Fountain (Triton)
	Hylas and Nymph
	Lost Bow
	Mighty Hunter
	Shepherdess
	The Awakening
	The Boy and Frog
	Artillery Memorial
	Australia Pillars
	The Boy
	Cooke Memorial
	Duke of York Column
	Field Marshall Roberts
	George VI
	Guards Memorial
	Kitchener
	Mountbatten
	Queen Victoria Memorial (Kensington Gardens)
	Royal Marines
	West Africa Pillar
	Wolseley
	Burghers of Calais
	Emmeline Pankhurst
	Arethusa
	These are heritage assets and given nil value for accounting purposes. The Royal Parks does not have disaggregated information on the cost of maintaining its statues.

Swimming: Concessions

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment he has made of the effect on participation rates of providing free access to swimming to those aged  (a) over 60 and  (b) under 16 years; and what estimate he has made of the cost to local authorities of implementing free swimming for (i) over 60s and (ii) under 16s.

Andy Burnham: Swimming is the most popular physical activity for the over 60s with 7 per cent. taking part at least once a month. It is also the second most popular sport for children aged 11 to 16, with 38 per cent. participating in and out of school.
	However, we know that cost can be a barrier to participation to some people. By introducing free swimming, we are removing this barrier and giving people the opportunity to increase the amount of exercise they take. Experience from existing schemes leads us to believe that our free swimming initiative will increase participation rates further.
	In each of 2009-10 and 2010-11, 15 million is available to local authorities to provide free swimming to those aged 60 or over and 25 million is available to local authorities to provide free swimming to those aged 16 or under. This is a challenge initiativebuilding on many existing schemes at local levelthat local authorities can opt into should they choose to. We want to help more local authorities to offer free swimming for over 60s and under 16s in support of our objective of getting two million more people active by the time of the 2012 Games in London.

Swimming: Finance

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will give a breakdown by main budget heading of the 140 million funding announced on 6 June 2008 to encourage local authorities to offer free swimming.

Andy Burnham: In each of 2009-10 and 2010-11, a total of 15 million has been made available to local authorities to offer free swimming to those aged 60 or over. Similarly, 25 million has been offered to provide free swimming to those aged 16 or under. In terms of capital funding, 10 million has been made available this year to those authorities who opt in to both elements of the scheme. These authorities may also bid from a 25 million capital fund available in each of 2009-10 and 2010-11.

Swimming: Finance

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the average local authority entitlement is as part of the 140 million fund announced on 6 June 2008 to encourage local authorities to offer free swimming; and what percentage of the total cost is expected to be borne by local authorities.

Andy Burnham: There is no new entitlement to free swimming. Eligible local authorities may choose to opt in to offering free swimming as we have defined it in our letter to chief executives, dated 29 July 2008, which I circulated to all hon. Members at the time.
	In each of 2009-10 and 2010-11, a total of 15 million has been made available to local authorities to offer free swimming to those aged 60 or over. Similarly, 25 million has been offered to provide free swimming to those aged 16 or under.
	Grant allocations have been offered to those of the eligible 354 local authorities who choose to provide free swimming, according to a formula based on the size of their local populations for the relevant age groups.
	Those authorities who opt in to both elements of the scheme will receive a pro rata population-based share of the 10 million capital has been made available this year. These authorities may also then bid from a 25 million capital fund available in each of 2009-10 and 2010-11.

Television: Licensing

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much was paid to the BBC from television licence revenue in each year since 1997.

Andy Burnham: The television licence fee revenue received into the Department is surrendered to the Consolidated Fund. The value of licence receipts, less a small deduction for the Department's costs of administering the licence fee, is passed on to the BBC through grant in aid from DCMS. Since 1997, the grant in aid has been as follows:
	
		
			   BBC grant in aid (000) 
			 2007-08(1) 2,856,110 
			 2006-07 2,739,006 
			 2005-06 2,624,277 
			 2004-05 2,501,970 
			 2003-04 2,372,527 
			 2002-03 2,277,789 
			 2001-02 2,171,382 
			 2000-01 2,086,326 
			 1999-2000 2,270,801 
			 1998-99 2,146,304 
			 1997-98 1,979,000 
			 (1) The accounting treatment of licence fee revenue income was changed in 2007-08 following discussion with the National Audit Office. For the first time in 2007-08, the income figure takes into account timing delays between the collection of licence fee revenue by the BBC's agents and payment to DCMS.

Television: Licensing

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much was received in television licence revenue in each year since 1997.

Andy Burnham: The following amounts were received in television licence fee revenue between 1997 and 2008:
	
		
			   BBC licence fee receipt 000 
			 2007-08 2,859,002 
			 2006-07 2,739,160 
			 2005-06 2,624,468 
			 2004-05 2,502,111 
			 2003-04 2,372,686 
			 2002-03 2,277,941 
			 2001-02 2,171,515 
			 2000-01 2,086,475 
			 1999-00 2,270,921 
			 1998-99 2,146,416 
			 1997-98 2,010,880

UK Film Council: Recruitment

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much was spent by the UK Film Council on advertising for recruitment in each of the last five years.

Barbara Follett: The UK Film Council has provided the following information about their advertising costs for recruitment. These figures include all internal executive posts, but not public appointments. Where figures are higher, in particular 2006-2007, this represents a higher staff turnover during these years.
	
		
			
			 2003-04 29,990 
			 2004-05 29,298 
			 2005-06 53,518 
			 2006-07 101,478 
			 2007-08 65,135

World Creative Business Conference

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much has been paid to  (a) Edelman and  (b) Acclaim for services relating to the World Creative Business Conference; and how much he expects to pay to each during 2008-09.

Barbara Follett: The Department has allocated 1 million towards the running of the World Creative Business Conference in each of the next three years, including 2008-09. This covers the provision of specialist expertise and several other costs, such as venue hire.

World Creative Business Conference

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when the World Creative Business Conference will take place; where it will be held; and how much the event is estimated to cost.

Andy Burnham: We expect to make a formal announcement of the date and location of the World Creative Business Conference soon. The final cost of the event will depend on a number of factors, including the number of attendees. However, the Department has allocated 1 million towards the running of the World Creative Business Conference in each of the next three years, including 2008-09.

World Creative Business Conference

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many invitations to the World Creative Business Conference have been sent out; and how many invitees have so far replied.

Andy Burnham: No invitations have yet been sent. It is expected that formal registration for the event will begin next spring.